tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-810452880842058912024-02-19T14:28:14.124+08:00The Soul SistersLouisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.comBlogger521125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-67658472679950708362016-09-13T20:00:00.000+08:002016-09-13T20:00:18.267+08:00{Blog Tour + Giveaway} Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjJN0T7PoCpGoFFxf4b466DmpRUGJh1tBH9qUEOOvsBdyMpTAxJlQyUseNk3_KKK5dgOjbVKWFCoeF_lhuNCgafoI3pAv8TxJC7KiIVmtgctH3hogC0p8WBIwLyEjEVV_L1WUh6j3y8Q/s1600/EOS+blog+tour+banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjJN0T7PoCpGoFFxf4b466DmpRUGJh1tBH9qUEOOvsBdyMpTAxJlQyUseNk3_KKK5dgOjbVKWFCoeF_lhuNCgafoI3pAv8TxJC7KiIVmtgctH3hogC0p8WBIwLyEjEVV_L1WUh6j3y8Q/s400/EOS+blog+tour+banner.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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I cannot even express how ridiculously excited I am to a be a part of the <i>Empire of Storms </i>blog tour! I devoured the book and finished it a day after it came out and I half hate myself for reading it too fast. Now I just feel like my life is a void waiting to be filled by TOG6 (the wait is already <i>so </i>painful). And if there's one thing I am definitely sure of, 2017 is going to be one hell of a ride. (ACOTAR3 and TOG6 in the same year? How will we survive?!)</div>
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Here's a cool fact: September 13th isn't just the date of my tour post, it's also the 6 month anniversary of Sarah's visit to the Philippines (last March 13th). It's a day that will always hold a special place in my heart and I am so grateful to have been able to meet Sarah when she came over. If you want to read about my experience, click <a href="http://the-soul-sisters.blogspot.com/2016/03/event-recap-sarahjmaasinph-giveaway.html"><i>HERE</i></a> for my even recap (beware: there is a whole lot of fangirling). And another fun fact: the 13th is an incredibly apt date for my post because I'll be talking about Manon and her Thirteen (some of my absolute favourite characters in the <i>Throne of Glass </i>series). But first, some info about the book...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEislsu6afmiUmSdj4Ue9Cp-dSN7VUcC9tNpdWqmHngVbboAd9s2rxtaFKXcq9ZUMk1yAp2FanEh9sVLI_Mq1_zEFmdYG7_yVK5gNySG-WmykpxqfeE9w4KcUJY4IWxlmE8PLdulRnq5wtw/s1600/book+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEislsu6afmiUmSdj4Ue9Cp-dSN7VUcC9tNpdWqmHngVbboAd9s2rxtaFKXcq9ZUMk1yAp2FanEh9sVLI_Mq1_zEFmdYG7_yVK5gNySG-WmykpxqfeE9w4KcUJY4IWxlmE8PLdulRnq5wtw/s320/book+cover.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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Title: Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5)</div>
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Author: Sarah J. Maas</div>
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Publisher: Bloomsbury</div>
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Publication date: September 6th 2016</div>
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Buy the book: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1619636077/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1619636077&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/empire-of-storms-sarah-j-maas/1123536925?ean=9781619636071">Barnes and Noble</a> / <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Empire-of-Storms-Sarah-J-Maas/9781408872895?ref=grid-view">Book Depository</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28260587-empire-of-storms?ac=1&from_search=true"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjERATta7hZkhFtRZebHR4kpGfJ-_pBDxyDkYc0_Uk2MhMnUPZnKeFEuDndAmhfzbdlBEX8CH-kRSekhgb2vpjwawN0MFqx-6geD3VsePJu7AwFnH54xsUYiJyCQgaiXK41ICMRuCNWP5w/s400/AddtoGoodreads.png" /></a></div>
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The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those don't.</div>
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As the kingdoms of Erilea fracture around her, enemies must become allies if Aelin is to keep those she loves from falling to the dark forces poised to claim her world. With war looming on all horizons, the only chance for salvation lies in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.</div>
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Aelin's journey from assassin to queen has entranced millions across the globe, and this fifth installment will leave fans breathless. Will Aelin succeed in keeping her world from splintering, or will it all come crashing down?</div>
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<b><u>Meet Manon and her Thirteen</u></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art by <a href="http://phantomrin.tumblr.com/">PhantomRin</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art by <a href="http://phantomrin.tumblr.com/">PhantomRin</a></td></tr>
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<b>MANON</b><br />
Also known as the Blackbeak heir and Wing Leader, she acts as the head of the Thirteen. Ruthless and cunning, Manon is a fierce leader that continuously leads her Thirteen to glory.<br />
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<b>ASTERIN</b></div>
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<b></b>Manon's second and her cousin, she is free- and wild-spirited but has overcome insurmountable hardships. She is incredibly loyal and fearless.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art by <a href="http://phantomrin.tumblr.com/">PhantomRin</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1mNnw2ZF_oSKK0nyKn9TZdOTfYV7bS-85AUJA-3oX2Sabx0KL7yWEYYn6N8hMPkBaEl2-Fo7n5wj0ZV3smO4dbnRg60mkhmzISEA8HXWMzSJ0LRR0_A1FhaPbzPzLntJog5vJCOjPGE/s1600/Thirteen+-+Vesta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1mNnw2ZF_oSKK0nyKn9TZdOTfYV7bS-85AUJA-3oX2Sabx0KL7yWEYYn6N8hMPkBaEl2-Fo7n5wj0ZV3smO4dbnRg60mkhmzISEA8HXWMzSJ0LRR0_A1FhaPbzPzLntJog5vJCOjPGE/s320/Thirteen+-+Vesta.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art by <a href="http://phantomrin.tumblr.com/">PhantomRin</a></td></tr>
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<b>SORREL</b><br />
Manon's third, she grounds the Thirteen with her calm and collected attitude. Sorrel gives Manon sensible and tactical advice and acts as a balance to Asterin's wildness.</div>
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<b>VESTA</b><br />
The seductress of the Thirteen, incredibly beguiling, Vesta uses her beauty and wit to ensnare her prey. She is also one of Manon's fallback sentries.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art by <a href="http://phantomrin.tumblr.com/">PhantomRin</a></td></tr>
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<b>GHISLAINE</b></div>
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The most knowledgable and well-read of the Thirteen.</div>
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Raised with humans, Ghislaine is valuable for both</div>
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her supreme intelligence and her skills as a warrior.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtzOX_dxPNFDTA-IMleBKoPrHX3ev1D__TgKk648gJSgrKs16Owcl00oaHhtWtjFVsGWOIU9CpgFO0xnLtl7vzpvYzh1gsTOT1OeKjPwFevROqQP3ZQBmTnAKsnbMVq6NTIFupIJp89o/s1600/Thirteen+-+Briar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtzOX_dxPNFDTA-IMleBKoPrHX3ev1D__TgKk648gJSgrKs16Owcl00oaHhtWtjFVsGWOIU9CpgFO0xnLtl7vzpvYzh1gsTOT1OeKjPwFevROqQP3ZQBmTnAKsnbMVq6NTIFupIJp89o/s320/Thirteen+-+Briar.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art by <a href="http://phantomrin.tumblr.com/">PhantomRin</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGKr5LL98aEHw3J3sgycOsQJqOIlkwJh-5SVV-kPIUsSI_8M47CQ94kRreWeiSvprmNbMMjL7Gxb6ZY0qi0kgjZdwbxRZgxOtnTptvGIZWRAeGXH5PACXmfLrb6vV6e6OcXRjrLyyXI1s/s1600/Thirteen+-+Edda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGKr5LL98aEHw3J3sgycOsQJqOIlkwJh-5SVV-kPIUsSI_8M47CQ94kRreWeiSvprmNbMMjL7Gxb6ZY0qi0kgjZdwbxRZgxOtnTptvGIZWRAeGXH5PACXmfLrb6vV6e6OcXRjrLyyXI1s/s320/Thirteen+-+Edda.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art by <a href="http://phantomrin.tumblr.com/">PhantomRin</a></td></tr>
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<b>BRIAR</b><br />
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<b>EDDA</b><br />
Also known as the Shadows. They are distant cousins of Manon (bearing the same moon-white hair but dyed black because of conspicuous they were), they were borne of the shadows and raised in darkness. They are the spies of the Thirteen.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art by <a href="http://phantomrin.tumblr.com/">PhantomRin</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art by <a href="http://phantomrin.tumblr.com/">PhantomRin</a></td></tr>
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<b>FALLON</b><br />
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<b>FALINE</b><br />
Also known as the green-eyed demon twins, they are some of Manon's fiercest warriors.<br />
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<b>THEA </b>and <b>KAYA</b></div>
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The lovers of the group,</div>
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they are bound by the centuries of hunting</div>
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and flying together.</div>
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<b>LIN</b></div>
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Never called by her full name "Linnea",</div>
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(because if anyone dared to, "that person would wind up</div>
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with missing teeth at best, and a missing face at worst"),</div>
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Lin is also one of Manon's fallback sentries.</div>
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<b>IMOGEN</b></div>
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Not much is known about Imogen.</div>
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(Most likely one of Manon's fallback sentries.)</div>
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<b>"<i>We are the Thirteen, from now until the Darkness claims us.</i>"</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdBz0ZEI0AHzreoA_g_J1lftNyMzNmilPM2isoa783VBrlwkbpKXpOqC3jT6CSOMQaSuE0P_8-6MNQdi-en-S4FprrMgXq4A8oUeSyrMJK7Y-X8hjRrKlBg3WfZdH_e_DsinnVg5u-B0/s1600/Giveaway.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdBz0ZEI0AHzreoA_g_J1lftNyMzNmilPM2isoa783VBrlwkbpKXpOqC3jT6CSOMQaSuE0P_8-6MNQdi-en-S4FprrMgXq4A8oUeSyrMJK7Y-X8hjRrKlBg3WfZdH_e_DsinnVg5u-B0/s400/Giveaway.png" /></a></b></div>
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Be sure to enter this super epic <span style="color: red;">INTERNATIONAL</span> giveaway for a signed copy of <i>Empire of Storms </i>plus some awesome swag!</div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="a3959e73107" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/a3959e73107/" id="rcwidget_2jt1dm3t" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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<b>Follow the <i>Empire of Storms </i>blog tour!</b></div>
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September 7 - Katie @ <a href="https://polishedpageturners.com/2016/09/07/empire-of-storms-by-sarah-j-maas-blog-tour-giveaway/">Polished Page-Turners</a><br />
September 8 - Steph @ <a href="http://nobsbookreviews.com/maasthirteen-blog-tour-giveaway-steph-pire-of-storms/">No BS Book Reviews</a><br />
September 9 - Sarah @ <a href="https://whatsarahread.com/2016/09/09/blog-tour-empire-of-storms-by-sarah-j-maas-review-giveaway/">What Sarah Read</a><br />
September 12 - Kelly @ <a href="http://belleoftheliterati.blogspot.com/2016/09/foreign-affairs-with-aelin-empire-of.html">Belle of the Literati</a><br />
September 13 - Louisse @ <a href="https://the-soul-sisters.blogspot.com/">The Soul Sisters</a> (You're here!)<br />
September 14 - Gillian @ <a href="http://www.gillianeberry.blogspot.com/">Writer of Wrongs</a><br />
September 15 - Andi @ <a href="http://andiabcs.com/">Andi’s ABCs</a><br />
September 16 - Gina @ <a href="http://www.behind-the-pages.com/">Behind the Pages</a><br />
September 19 - Jaz @ <a href="http://www.pixelski.com/">Fiction in Fiction in Fiction</a><br />
September 20 - Mel @ <a href="http://thedailyprophecy.blogspot.com/">The Daily Prophecy</a><br />
September 21 - Betty @ <a href="http://www.bookrockbetty.com/">Book Rock Betty</a><br />
September 22 - Rachel @ <a href="http://www.hello-chelly.com/">Hello Chelly</a><br />
September 23 - Alexa @ <a href="http://www.alexalovesbooks.com/">Alexa Loves Books</a><br />
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<b>About the author:</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsk8DGwmmQ87FYyUw90DDwMermLD9i-Bbi6SLJwvhD4viLnP9OyFuIwMVby2SOXF5OOGSbPcOZumfsANA-zPtXl6ewZWbIV_VAwsISIR-cMpZHacQSyMjFpM2DN2A6W0QbqaUh09RF6Q/s1600/author+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsk8DGwmmQ87FYyUw90DDwMermLD9i-Bbi6SLJwvhD4viLnP9OyFuIwMVby2SOXF5OOGSbPcOZumfsANA-zPtXl6ewZWbIV_VAwsISIR-cMpZHacQSyMjFpM2DN2A6W0QbqaUh09RF6Q/s1600/author+photo.jpg" /></a></div>
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Sarah J. Maas is the #1 <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of the <i>Throne of Glass</i> series and <i>A Court of Thorns and Roses</i> series, as well as a <i>USA Today</i> and international bestselling author. Sarah wrote the first incarnation of the <i>Throne of Glass series</i> when she was just sixteen, and it has now sold in thirty-five languages. A New York native, Sarah currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and dog. <i>Empire of Storms</i>, the fifth <i>Throne of Glass</i> novel, will release on September 6th, 2016.</div>
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She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hamilton College in 2008 with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Religious Studies.</div>
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You can <strike>stalk</strike> find her here:</div>
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<a href="http://sarahjmaas.com/">Website</a> || <a href="http://sjmaas.livejournal.com/">Blog</a> || <a href="http://twitter.com/SJMaas">Twitter</a> || <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/sarahjmaas/">Pinterest</a> || <a href="http://sjmaas.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a> || <a href="https://instagram.com/therealsjmaas/">Instagram</a> ||<br />
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So many thanks to the fabulous #MaasThirteen ladies for including me in the tour!</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXzTelB2jm9J5IvP9WgaM0q_F365_oxD6w3fSJz0aOhEzdX-2Q4KZvLIaQ3d0dSYEbEQwfY1DjKL2mLGI_J2TcI6W2BVs8iu98rSpuL4Qz1R0Nl6q_HsD5zwFyL6A_0Byfq1pqc_cQNE/s1600/xx+Louisse.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXzTelB2jm9J5IvP9WgaM0q_F365_oxD6w3fSJz0aOhEzdX-2Q4KZvLIaQ3d0dSYEbEQwfY1DjKL2mLGI_J2TcI6W2BVs8iu98rSpuL4Qz1R0Nl6q_HsD5zwFyL6A_0Byfq1pqc_cQNE/s400/xx+Louisse.png" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774493484443976340noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-51859864783949429152016-08-02T21:00:00.000+08:002016-08-02T21:00:33.488+08:00ARC Review: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzXfzW9oBwP2aodOO9dUtIBj9Tm9hvc0wbTW-cmw40I3mcdW6hC1n9a4Y5Zqz0IHTZEmFn5anOXauOuaOVuAW2AksF8QA_A7dvQjhoshcot232AUAXfmYBfPyaVwaUC2rE311JPQsdBGH/s1600/27362503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzXfzW9oBwP2aodOO9dUtIBj9Tm9hvc0wbTW-cmw40I3mcdW6hC1n9a4Y5Zqz0IHTZEmFn5anOXauOuaOVuAW2AksF8QA_A7dvQjhoshcot232AUAXfmYBfPyaVwaUC2rE311JPQsdBGH/s320/27362503.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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Title: It Ends With Us</div>
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Author: Colleen Hoover</div>
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Publisher: Atria Books</div>
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Publication date: August 2nd 2016</div>
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Buy the book: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ends-Us-Novel-Colleen-Hoover/dp/1501110365">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/it-ends-with-us-colleen-hoover/1122858647">Barnes and Noble</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27276318-it-ends-with-us"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX3UZBAT_ulLr6CVEjOxEQGoCPjv1t-yaCyC8LMJE9o86Kg_UzESGvemfbVh2PL3VvC56QUWUfEIDhaRAYBtoUqqmIdSAL3Dhb8-WR8fybv5IdXjxvx_DaiMPwwV9GMAG17QE_iBYFw8dQ/s1600/AddtoGoodreads.png" /></a></div>
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Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most.<br />
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Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up—she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.<br />
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Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.<br />
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As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan—her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened. <br />
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With this bold and deeply personal novel, Colleen Hoover delivers a heart-wrenching story that breaks exciting new ground for her as a writer. Combining a captivating romance with a cast of all-too-human characters, <i>It Ends With Us </i>is an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image and summary taken from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27276318-it-ends-with-us">Goodreads</a>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">My thoughts:</span></div>
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Colleen Hoover's books have been a hit or miss with me lately, I think the last book of hers that truly "hit" me was <i>Hopeless </i>so I was a bit wary diving into this one. But seeing the overwhelming response to <i>It Ends With Us </i>was what urged me to read it, and after reading it, I understood what all the hype was about. Before writing this review, I honestly did not know what to rate this book, there were so many incredible parts but there were moments that were just to weird for me, and I felt like those moments outweighed the special moments of the story.</div>
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If there's one widely known fact about CoHo's books, it's that there is always a twist in them. A twist that will alter the middle half of the story and either elevate the rest of the book or mess it up. And in this case, it was both. I won't go too deep into how the story went because I'll spoil it but I felt like the direction the story was suppose to go became forced and it just didn't make a lot of sense.</div>
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As a book, I didn't particularly enjoy <i>It Ends With Us</i>, the characters were flat and out of character at certain times, (Lily was a confusing MC and she was pretty much a reflection of all of CoHo's other MCs except with different baggage) the pace of the story was way too fast (CoHo insta-love at its finest) and the ending was pretty self-serving and kind of a cop out. Don't get me wrong, the writing was beautiful, I found myself crying at a lot of scenes and I was a wreck throughout most of the book but if it weren't for CoHo's writing and well-written lines, I wouldn't have been able to go through the book.</div>
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That being said, I delved deeper into the surface, below the writing and the characters and the superficial stuff and it was... an interesting experience. There was a lot of meaning to this book, given the fact that <i>It Ends With Us </i>is such a personal story to CoHo, and I couldn't help but be affected by the message that she was trying to convey with her story. I just wish that CoHo had executed this story better. I'd still recommend people to read <i>It Ends With Us </i>because there is depth to this book and I'm sure an average CoHo fan would love it. It just wasn't my cup of tea, unfortunately.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Rating:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHVFhVdtxYqtG7v2x0T9n88AZAxyj3Dgp55eDQhY8kKeu2cr5nFyC9NLdXoxARbiXseT2nKSUR1IB-IOF3IeGgnDYu184jOFbY2Xi6LdrXNA8zp21KAiWR6bp__XlTGMdooQ4f2baoAMAH/s1600/Three+Teacups.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHVFhVdtxYqtG7v2x0T9n88AZAxyj3Dgp55eDQhY8kKeu2cr5nFyC9NLdXoxARbiXseT2nKSUR1IB-IOF3IeGgnDYu184jOFbY2Xi6LdrXNA8zp21KAiWR6bp__XlTGMdooQ4f2baoAMAH/s1600/Three+Teacups.png" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9BjxH5IzeiktStItjbxZjo1t3AruXBl-0dNkDRs7-VeOXbZoDJUKnb3D0fZ6R5_YLKqM-zv2c1JmeEZviDPnLAzdNOlr9mtFt1JDXKldaWMTVg8q7Yc0el9J9WUezjo8LWb3_dRw3-C6/s1600/xx+Louisse.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9BjxH5IzeiktStItjbxZjo1t3AruXBl-0dNkDRs7-VeOXbZoDJUKnb3D0fZ6R5_YLKqM-zv2c1JmeEZviDPnLAzdNOlr9mtFt1JDXKldaWMTVg8q7Yc0el9J9WUezjo8LWb3_dRw3-C6/s1600/xx+Louisse.png" /></a></div>
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-7967786858729845122016-06-01T21:00:00.000+08:002016-06-01T21:00:22.418+08:00Review: The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZOEznc6U48b85seZ1Lf8wS1z5hvznDga8seJEoVgV23snMFC-aUyRR2zGt9IAawX5_ibEjnKLGR5QUnQQC3TLY7DPJ3_cW5_y3InHSf4p4wK4gMYEOxhfn3zjAPlyfHC4xh982DGkdag/s1600/17838528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZOEznc6U48b85seZ1Lf8wS1z5hvznDga8seJEoVgV23snMFC-aUyRR2zGt9IAawX5_ibEjnKLGR5QUnQQC3TLY7DPJ3_cW5_y3InHSf4p4wK4gMYEOxhfn3zjAPlyfHC4xh982DGkdag/s320/17838528.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
Title: The Unexpected Everything<br />
Author: Morgan Matson<br />
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers<br />
Publication date: May 3rd 2016<br />
Buy the book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Unexpected-Everything-Morgan-Matson/dp/1481404547">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-unexpected-everything-morgan-matson/1122714271?ean=9781481404549">Barnes and Noble</a> / <a href="http://www.nationalbookstore.com/books/teens/the-unexpected-everything.html">National Book Store</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17838528-the-unexpected-everything"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtE9ROmmxnuVOl5YgadG_J5piPIOHDvZrWZWlpyQlhCCYStf-PNs_uNiRTbZxtB27msB25admPMJWILQOVuWmUbGlsWeKJpIppdFQXhB-MGyREwIRKIZsCILpuEMchyphenhyphenJfNKpeS07ktIg/s1600/AddtoGoodreads.png" /></a><br />
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Andie had it all planned out.<br />
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When you are a politician’s daughter who’s pretty much raised yourself, you learn everything can be planned or spun, or both. Especially your future.<br />
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Important internship? Check.<br />
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Amazing friends? Check.<br />
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Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks).<br />
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But that was before the scandal. Before having to be in the same house with her dad. Before walking an insane number of dogs. That was before Clark and those few months that might change her whole life.<br />
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Because here’s the thing—if everything’s planned out, you can never find the unexpected.<br />
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And where’s the fun in that?<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image and summary taken from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17838528-the-unexpected-everything">Goodreads</a>)</span></div>
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<i>The Unexpected Everything</i> was an unexpectedly delightful and heartfelt read. I admit that I was a bit daunted by the 500+ page Contemporary read because Contemps tend to get boring after a while, but I was happy to find out that it was the opposite for this novel. The first six-ish chapters were a bit dragging but as I slowly found the rhythm of <i>The Unexpected Everything</i>, there was nothing that could have stopped me from devouring its words; and by the end of it, 519 pages were not enough.<br />
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Andie was, admittedly, a difficult character to connect with. There was something so heavy and nonchalant about her that I couldn't really grasp her emotions, especially when it came to anything about her father or boys, she was very, for the lack of a better word, clinical. It took me a few chapters to really <i>know </i>her and when I did, I found myself reflected in Andie. There are aspects of myself that I saw in her, buried deep and waiting to be unraveled. I still don't really understand what's up with her and only staying with guys for three weeks (or her seemingly constant stream of past boyfriends/her relationship with Topher) but aside from that, everything was good. I found her quirks quite charming (like her Type A-ish personality) but of course, there were moments that those parts of her, don't always work out in her favor.<br />
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Okay, so... Clark is definitely going in my list of top book boyfriends everrr. Other than the fact that he gives a whole new meaning to adorkable (like, a really hot meaning to it), he's insanely down to earth and just the type of guy you'd want to be with. Sure, he has awkward moments but those "dorky" parts of him add so much to his charm. I was literally half in love with him (and Bertie) a few pages into meeting him. Clark was a huge part of <i>The Unexpected Everything </i>and he gave so much meaning and depth to this novel. My heart melted pretty much every conversation between him and Andie, they are so shippable, I swear. But more than their amazing relationship, they both have their own merits and independent personalities. I dare you not to fall in love with Clark (you'll fail, lol).<br />
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I absolutely adored the dogs featured, they gave the book a lightness that it needed. (And they were all adorable!) I also really liked Andie's "squad": Palmer, Bri and Toby. To be honest, I liked Toby least because there were moments I wherein she was so self-centred and all "boo-hoo" and no one called her out on it because they felt too bad for her. Even to the end, I still felt iffy towards her. But otherwise, their group's dynamic was really good and their text conversations are 👌. (You'll get the significance of emojis in the book.) Also, the growth in Andie's relationship with her father made me tear up at times, their special moments together were so lovely, the rebuilding of trust and everything was so well done. Safe to say, I got all the feels.<br />
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I don't think I've ever had so much fun reading a Contemporary book before. <i>The Unexpected Everything </i>is packed with first love, adventure and all kinds of unexpected magic, it was such an amazing experience; and I enjoyed every moment of it. I cannot recommend this book enough. (Guess I'll be reading Morgan Matson's other novels now.)<br />
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Louissehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08314138296005311941noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-65604857724966443882016-04-27T21:00:00.000+08:002016-04-27T21:00:00.192+08:00Waiting on Wednesday (56)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Waiting on Wednesday/s are hosted by Jill from <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a> in which you choose a book or books that you're excited and waiting for.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This week's Waiting on Wednesday book is...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCCJhf_qmhaXDCVf4GYn3qgKvvajenTBvashMbXKT7x4klRYWJgOrpZDoBcbjj_Ufwpi21Lb65p69_ckkOK2o2r7KGQKVz-pKs49xjkhA9cUbCX373Ls9_2O2e2SkeJKk1soxIh1-jzyi/s1600/17927395.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCCJhf_qmhaXDCVf4GYn3qgKvvajenTBvashMbXKT7x4klRYWJgOrpZDoBcbjj_Ufwpi21Lb65p69_ckkOK2o2r7KGQKVz-pKs49xjkhA9cUbCX373Ls9_2O2e2SkeJKk1soxIh1-jzyi/s320/17927395.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Title: A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Author: Sarah J. Maas</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Publisher: Bloomsbury</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Publication date: May 3rd 2016</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Pre-order the book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Court-Mist-Fury-Thorns-Roses/dp/1619634465">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-court-of-mist-and-fury-sarah-j-maas/1123052907">Barnes and Noble</a> / <a href="http://www.target.com/p/only-at-target-a-court-of-mist-and-fury-court-of-thorns-and-roses-series-2-exclusive-content-by-sarah-j-maas/-/A-50820216#prodSlot=medium_1_1&term=a+court+of+mist+and+fury">Target</a></span><br />
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Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court--but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.</div>
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Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms--and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future--and the future of a world cleaved in two.</div>
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With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image and summary taken from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26073150-a-court-of-mist-and-fury">Goodreads</a>)</span></div>
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Reasons for why I am super excited to read this:<br />
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1) I absolutely LOVED <i>A Court of Thorns and Roses</i>, it was actually the second best of I read last 2015 (the first being <i>Queen of Shadows</i>, obviously). I am really looking forward to seeing Feyre, Tamlin, Lucien, and Rhys (him, most of all) again and finding out what they're up to in this one. I can already imagine ACOMAF to be grittier, more angsty and steamier than ACOTAR.</div>
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2) Sarah mentioned how the map gets more filled out in ACOMAF and I'm very excited to explore the world of Pythian even more and see what adventures and dangers lay ahead, as well as see the rest of the Courts and meet their respective fae members. If there's one thing I love about Sarah's writing, it's her incredible world building, every word in every sentence is written to make a reader truly experience the different settings, textures, and feelings. You should check out Sarah's Pinterest board for the <i>A Court of Thorns and Roses </i>series, it's filled with sooo many pretties and will legit tease you about everything. You can see it <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/sarahjmaas/a-court-of-thorns-and-roses/">HERE</a>.</div>
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3) A Hades and Persephone retelling? I AM ALREADY THERE. I have always been in love with the Hades and Persephone mythology and I know that Sarah will do the concept justice. Looking forward to seeing how she portrays that in ACOMAF.</div>
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4) Major, <i>major </i>cover lust! The covers of the ACOTAR books are my absolutely favourite amongst all of Sarah's novels. And from what she's been hinting, there are some secrets buried in this cover itself and I just can<i>not </i>wait to uncover them.</div>
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5) I will 1000000000% read anything by Sarah J. Maas. Anything. She could write a version of the phone book and I'd still read it.</div>
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What are <i>you </i>looking forward to this week? Let me know in the comments below!</div>
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-79335518984354366552016-04-23T21:00:00.000+08:002016-04-23T21:00:33.816+08:00Stacking the Shelves (32)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNxpbyWuCBqNQPofvfI2KWWWSxt2mzlbHNoRF0DK-lfQqEnMVik1FgiAtkt4P3aG_ZOyHGwU_Srwwuu_HJ-gTs3ubNZ70ZWz9rJEzevbNm-5u7ZUJ-BTrPXtCI3Fgxickp1_8ibEe9aBj/s1600/StackingTheShelves.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNxpbyWuCBqNQPofvfI2KWWWSxt2mzlbHNoRF0DK-lfQqEnMVik1FgiAtkt4P3aG_ZOyHGwU_Srwwuu_HJ-gTs3ubNZ70ZWz9rJEzevbNm-5u7ZUJ-BTrPXtCI3Fgxickp1_8ibEe9aBj/s1600/StackingTheShelves.png" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by <a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/">Tynga's Reviews</a>! It's where bloggers can share what they got for review, bought, borrowed, won or gifted (both physical and eBooks may be included! :D)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">Here are the awesome bookish things I got recently:</span></div>
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<b><u>Bought:</u></b></div>
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An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes #1) by Sabaa Tahir (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20560137-an-ember-in-the-ashes">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy #1) by Marie Rutkoski (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17756559-the-winner-s-curse">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy #2) by Marie Rutkoski (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20443207-the-winner-s-crime">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRZ2hD37-VOOjKoQj_h4TFO8rItWxD_quzpLAqfSKRQYOKnu4ByceWb3sOXwsQ2xQZUNAS-IHtyow1LTC99tPCt75UQY5BN5QhS7DQHIms7TOMES4sQ-8OW2Y4ni2vmn1OqTURVDh_C3j/s1600/13020175_1089787077709307_1584064458_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRZ2hD37-VOOjKoQj_h4TFO8rItWxD_quzpLAqfSKRQYOKnu4ByceWb3sOXwsQ2xQZUNAS-IHtyow1LTC99tPCt75UQY5BN5QhS7DQHIms7TOMES4sQ-8OW2Y4ni2vmn1OqTURVDh_C3j/s320/13020175_1089787077709307_1584064458_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><u>For review:</u></b></div>
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Riders (Riders #1) by Veronica Rossi (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23430471-riders">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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The Last Boy and Girl in the World by Siobhan Vivian (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25785597-the-last-boy-and-girl-in-the-world">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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*ARC* Ruined (Ruined #1) by Amy Tintera (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26074185-ruined">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17838528-the-unexpected-everything?from_new_nav=true&ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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*ARC* Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13260524-some-kind-of-happiness?from_new_nav=true&ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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*ARC* The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love by Sarvenaz Tash (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24832518-the-geek-s-guide-to-unrequited-love?from_new_nav=true&ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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*ARC* Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27064385-ivory-and-bone?from_new_nav=true&ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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So many thanks to the amazing people at Tor, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins International and Fully Booked! Incredibly excited to dive into these awesome reads.</div>
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What did YOU get in your mailbox this week? Let me know!</div>
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-24839966492399266722016-04-22T21:00:00.000+08:002016-04-22T21:00:13.628+08:00ARC Review: Down with the Shine by Kate Karyus Quinn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Title: Down with the Shine<br />
Author: Kate Karyus Quinn<br />
Publisher: HarperTeen<br />
Publication date: April 26th 2016<br />
Pre-order the book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Down-Shine-Kate-Karyus-Quinn/dp/0062356046">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/down-with-the-shine-kate-karyus-quinn/1122221486">Barnes and Noble</a><br />
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There's a reason they say "be careful what you wish for." Just ask the girl who wished to be thinner and ended up smaller than Thumbelina, or the boy who asked for "balls of steel" and got them-literally. And never wish for your party to go on forever. Not unless you want your guests to be struck down by debilitating pain if they try to leave.<br />
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These are things Lennie only learns when it's too late-after she brings some of her uncles' moonshine to a party and toasts to dozens of wishes, including a big wish of her own: to bring back her best friend, Dylan, who was abducted and murdered six months ago.<br />
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Lennie didn't mean to cause so much chaos. She always thought her uncles' moonshine toast was just a tradition. And when they talked about carrying on their "important family legacy," she thought they meant good old-fashioned bootlegging.<br />
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As it turns out, they meant granting wishes. And Lennie has just granted more in one night than her uncles would grant in a year.<br />
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Now she has to find a way to undo the damage. But once granted, a wish can't be unmade...<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image and summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25647300-down-with-the-shine">Goodreads</a>)</span></div>
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I had so much fun reading <i>Down with the Shine</i>, the events that transpired in the book were unexpected and outrageous that I just couldn't help but enjoy myself. This is actually the first novel I've read written by Kate Karyus Quinn and from what I've seen of her other books, they seemed really dark and gritty which are characteristics that can also be seen in <i>Down with the Shine </i>but layered with an ounce of absurdity and snark that shifted its dark themes into something lighter and wholly funnier.</div>
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When I first read the blurb I thought that the story would only revolve around Lennie trying to fix all the crazy wishes that were granted but in actuality the plot was deeper and more mysterious than that. I don't want to get too much into the details because I feel like the purpose of the vague synopsis is to really shock the reader and I don't want to ruin that "holy crap" moment for anyone. All I'm going to say is that <i>Down with the Shine </i>is an enigma, don't let its weirdness fool you. This book is far from refined or perfect but the way Kate Karyus Quinn weaves the story is so wack that everything makes so much sense.</div>
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What really made me like this story was how trippy everything was (I'm on a roll with all these trippy books, I swear). The craziness didn't start when the wishes started happening, nope, everything went down as soon as the first chapter passed. Lennie's whole life is a twisty mess of thrills, magic and moonshine. The consistence of the oddness of the story added to its appeal and I liked that Kate Karyus Quinn didn't do anything half-assed, it's like she decided that if the story was already going to be weird, might as well keep adding to that quickly growing heap of awesome mess. The concept of wishes meshed with moonshine was so far out and so unique and I knew as soon as I read that bit about <i>Down with the Shine </i>that this book would be incredibly interesting, and I was right.</div>
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<i>Down with the Shine </i>is like nothing I've read before, and though the plot was really odd, I enjoyed it. There was so much going on but the different aspects of this book went so well together even though they normally wouldn't have (props to Kate Karyus Quinn for the cohesiveness of the story). The ending felt a little like a cop out for me though but it was okay, nothing as impressive as the actual story. I'm actually looking forward to reading Kate Karyus Quinn's other novels and seeing how different her writing is per book because I just know that is this different from her typical style; and if you're looking for a little romance, a lot of thrills and even more craziness, then you definitely need to try this one out.</div>
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-40776277269291668422016-04-20T21:00:00.000+08:002016-04-20T21:00:21.931+08:00What I love about A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's that time of the year again, the time when Sarah J. Maas is about to drop a hella awesome new book. The second book of the <i>A Court of Thorns and Roses </i>series, <i>A Court of Mist and Fury</i>, comes out May 3rd so Bloomsbury decided to host the #ACOTARreadalong (follow the hashtag on Twitter and join the conversation)! I'm here to share what <i>I </i>love about <i>A Court of Thorns and Roses </i>and I have five reasons for you.</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">The details are INSANE...ly gorgeous. I absolutely love how Sarah's paints intricate pictures and sceneries, especially since Feyre is a painter herself. Seeing things through her artistic eyes gives a depth and uniqueness to her environment. The way she describes texture and notices the different shifts of light and even the features of the people she meets makes her experience in Prythian all the more real and grounded.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">A quiet yet headstrong heroine that finds her strength within herself. Feyre isn't your typical super badass YA/NA heroine, she's vulnerable and wary and not too impressive but as the pages go by and you truly get to know her, you'll see a spark inside of her that isn't normally seen in other heroines. Her vulnerability is where she draws her strength and there is so much courage in that.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">ACOTAR is hot, hot, h-o-t. This book crosses the boundary of Young Adult to New Adult because of the intense sexual tension between Feyre and Tamlin. And trust me, there are some <i>really </i>spicy scenes in this book that will make you want to chug a glass of cold water to cool off. (*cough*Chapter 27*cough)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">I feel like Sarah J. Maas is the queen of hot fae men because holy Batman, the guys in this book are <i>smoking</i>. From the brooding High Lord Tamlin to the snarky, foxy emissary, Lucien, you will not run out of guys to choose from. (I am personally incredibly partial to Rhys, my Night Court High Lord bae. It's a mouthful... but that's what he is. Hahahahaha.)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Other than the characters being insanely good looking, there's a complexity to them that you won't find anywhere else. Each character has their own backstory and agenda and the brings the plot to a whole new level (oh, Lucien...). Even more than that, ACOTAR will completely take you by surprise. The first half is amazing but buckle in your seatbelts because it gets even <i>better</i>. Sarah J. Maas elevates the <i>Beauty and the Beast </i>fairytale and completely owns it, you will <i>not </i>be disappointed.</li>
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And there you have it, my reasons as to why I loved ACOTAR (and why YOU need to read it, if you haven't yet). Also, do join my friend, Nicola, and I for #ACOTARQuizNight on April 30th; there'll be fun questions and great prizes! See you there!!</div>
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<br />Louissehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08314138296005311941noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-52599714151808942812016-04-19T21:00:00.000+08:002016-04-19T21:00:20.283+08:00{Blog Tour} ARC Review: Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Title: Tell Me Three Things</div>
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Author: Julie Buxbaum</div>
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Publisher: Delacorte Press</div>
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Publication date: April 5th 2016<br />
ISBN: 9780399552939</div>
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Buy the book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tell-Three-Things-Julie-Buxbaum/dp/0553535641">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tell-me-three-things-julie-buxbaum/1122089807">Barnes and Noble</a> / <a href="http://www.fullybookedonline.com/products/tell-me-three-things">Fully Booked</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25893582-tell-me-three-things"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAnfv_i7EtfZP1D9DlSbV4pLE7ysScnz2jdDOEEF4rNQoRPFSPdaOUbNEtF_WhIuGJmnvCJ6x87pVvgxaCJmCpzxIrMUNtOps1lG5FyJWySai00MX8Wg9tMednAagrMSjnkWEQ7xTPPbo/s1600/AddtoGoodreads.png" /></a><br />
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<b><i>What if the person you need the most is someone you’ve never met? </i></b><br />
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Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week of junior year at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. Just when she’s thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short), offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Is it an elaborate hoax? Or can she rely on SN for some much-needed help?<br />
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It’s been barely two years since her mother’s death, and because her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country to live with her stepmonster and her pretentious teenage son.<br />
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In a leap of faith—or an act of complete desperation—Jessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can’t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image and summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25893582-tell-me-three-things">Goodreads</a>)</span></div>
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I've never been a big Contemporary fan but I couldn't help but smile, laugh, cry and just enjoy my time while I was devouring this novel. There were so many aspects to this book that made me pause and just think about everything. Here are three things I really liked about <i>Tell Me Three Things </i>and reasons as to why you need to read it:</div>
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1. The struggles Jessie went through were so real and so relatable. There were even moments where I found myself nodding along to what was happening because <i>I </i>have felt and experienced those things as well: I've found myself not understanding my parents and estranged from them, fighting with my best friend because of a misunderstanding and most of all, feeling alone but managing to find someone to hold on to. There was so much depth to Jessie's story and her vulnerable moments made her so human and I couldn't help but build a connection to her character. I found traces of myself within her and because of those similarities, I was able to truly feel the message of Jessie's life and <i>Tell Me Three Things </i>even more. Trust me when I say that we'll all find pieces of ourselves in Jessie and that will give more meaning to this story for you (it's all very subjective).<br />
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2. The interactions between Jessie and those around her as well as the relationships built and remade were so compelling and weighty. I adored Jessie and Somebody/Nobody's (aka SN) emails/messages to each other. Their conversations gave the book a lighter feeling with a sweet touch of banter and flirtation. But it wasn't just cute moments between the two of them, there were heartfelt moments too and those were the ones that really struck me; they understood each other and in a way, their hearts were in the same place. There really was so much depth between the two of them. But even more than the Jessie and SN pairing, I have to give props to Scar, Jessie's best friend. Even though there was a big distance between the two of them, she was still there for Jessie and constantly lent her ear for her friend, even at her own expense. But honestly, out of all the relationships Jessie had built, it was the strained interactions with her father and her new family that really hit me. It was painful to see her want to understand what was happening but not being able to communicate that to her father; also, her denial over her new step-mother and -brother pulled that taut string even tighter (I did like her conversations with Theo, her step-brother, though, he's a cool guy). All the strings in Jessie's life where somehow interconnected and it was amazing to see certain strings get pulled to their limits but somehow not break. For me, the solution to most of the issues in the book was communication and being able to truly speak what's in your heart, and I think Julie Buxbaum was able to tackle that perfectly.<br />
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3. On a lighter note, while <i>Tell Me Three Things </i>was mostly about finding yourself and making amends and all that deep stuff, I really did enjoy the romance aspect of this book, as well as the mystery of who SN really is. I had my suspicions as to who he was and I really liked who he turned out to be. There was meaning to the journey of discovering his identity and that made the unveiling all the more exciting. There were a lot of "squee" moments for me in regards to the romance in this book; there were so many cute and awkward scenes that I couldn't help but be happy.<br />
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Julie Buxbaum was able to highlight so many parts of this book and give them all equal importance. I normally get bored with Contemporaries but that was not the case with this one, the story was so unique and so riveting that I actually couldn't stop reading. There's enough of everything to appeal to anyone's reading palette: a touch of angst, a little bit of romance and mystery, and a whole lot of depth in <i>Tell Me Three Things</i>. I cannot recommend this book enough.</div>
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-25794402559455066342016-04-16T21:00:00.000+08:002016-04-16T21:00:25.292+08:00ARC Review: The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Title: The Glittering Court (The Glittering Court #1)<br />
Author: Richelle Mead<br />
Publisher: Razorbill<br />
Publication date: April 5th 2016<br />
Buy the book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Glittering-Court-Richelle-Mead/dp/1595148418">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-glittering-court-richelle-mead/1122914345">Barnes and Noble</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27272506-the-glittering-court"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAnfv_i7EtfZP1D9DlSbV4pLE7ysScnz2jdDOEEF4rNQoRPFSPdaOUbNEtF_WhIuGJmnvCJ6x87pVvgxaCJmCpzxIrMUNtOps1lG5FyJWySai00MX8Wg9tMednAagrMSjnkWEQ7xTPPbo/s1600/AddtoGoodreads.png" /></a><br />
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Big and sweeping, spanning from the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, <i>The Glittering Court </i>tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court.<br />
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Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training, and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.<br />
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When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide’s deception. Complications soon arise—first as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and then when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor.<br />
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But no complication will prove quite as daunting as the potent attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. An attraction that, if acted on, would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly uncharted lands…<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image and summary taken from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27272506-the-glittering-court">Goodreads</a>)</span></div>
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I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself enjoying <i>The Glittering Court </i>more than I expected myself to. What I originally thought would be a shallow and simple novel turned out to be a lot more nuanced and multi-layered. There were parts that were boring and just okay but the moments that shined made up for them; as corny as it may sound, this novel really did glitter.</div>
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The first few chapters were hard to get into because of how vapid the whole scenario seemed and "Adelaide" wasn't really interesting enough to make those boring moments better; but as the story slowly progressed, parts of Adelaide unfolded and showed deep and intimate parts of her. We've all heard stories of noble ladies wanting to escape the mundane life of being rich and finding a way to do something really exciting but with the way Richelle Mead characterised Adelaide, it made her different from the typical runaway-noble-lady trope. Sure she joined the Glittering Court to find a rich husband but the different facets of Adelaide will make you realise that there's so much more to her than being a countess. She was only able to show her wit, snark and guile when she joined the Court and those aspects of her made me like her all the more. I really enjoyed the scenes wherein she had to downplay her abilities when it came to etiquette and other courtly activities because in a way, she was also learning from her fellow Glittering Court ladies. There was really a lot of character growth in Adelaide and that contributed to the progression of the story, allowing it to be more open.</div>
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Romance wise, I liked the pacing of how the relationship between Cedric and Adelaide progressed. It wasn't an instant love, it was slow, tension-filled and insanely sweet. It was great to see how they started off as friends then pretty much became comrades sharing a mutual interest (and some secrets). And even more than their romance, I liked that Richelle Mead knew when to let the ball finally dropped, she didn't drag it for too long nor did she let it happen too fast; also, she left room for the plot to develop, she didn't completely stay in the whole Glittering Court/Cedric and Adelaide romance, there were a lot of small details that proved to be significant later into the story.</div>
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I honestly thought that this story would only be about Adelaide and her journey to love and riches but wow, there were so many more things that happened that I did not see coming (the blurb wasn't very forthcoming, which made the experience all the more enjoyable, seeing the different events unfold). There were a number of issues that popped up in the book, relating to religion, a little bit of politics and some other unexpected issues. Richelle Mead tackled them all efficiently and didn't try to micromanage everything; she gave each part room to be explained and resolved but also left some aspects of them open to interpretation.</div>
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The minor characters in the book also contributed to its success, in my opinion. The dynamic between Mira and Adelaide was great, their friendship was subtle and quiet but definitely took up a lot of space. I'm very excited to read Mira's book and see all the stuff mentioned in <i>The Glittering Court </i>about her get cleared up. However, I'm still apprehensive about Tamsin, I spent majority of the book disliking her attitude so the shift in her in the latter part of the novel took me by surprise so I'm not too sure what to feel about her. The characters each had a role to play and to me, they executed their performances perfectly.</div>
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I'm really looking forward to seeing what's next in store for the girls of the Glittering Court and whose book will be next (will it be Mira's? Or Tamsin's?). I really enjoyed <i>The Glittering Court </i>and it's great to see Richelle Mead deviate from her typical Paranormal/Urban Fantasy genres.</div>
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-12447054629175351712016-04-13T21:00:00.000+08:002016-04-14T03:28:32.080+08:00ARC Review: The Rose and the Dagger by Renée Ahdieh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Title: The Rose and the Dagger (The Wrath and the Dawn #1)<br />
Author: Renée Ahdieh<br />
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers<br />
Publication date: April 26th 2016<br />
Pre-order the book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Rose-Dagger-Ren%C3%A9e-Ahdieh/dp/0399171622">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-rose-and-the-dagger-renee-ahdieh/1122492542">Barnes and Noble</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23308084-the-rose-the-dagger"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAnfv_i7EtfZP1D9DlSbV4pLE7ysScnz2jdDOEEF4rNQoRPFSPdaOUbNEtF_WhIuGJmnvCJ6x87pVvgxaCJmCpzxIrMUNtOps1lG5FyJWySai00MX8Wg9tMednAagrMSjnkWEQ7xTPPbo/s1600/AddtoGoodreads.png" /></a><br />
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<i>I am surrounded on all sides by a desert. A guest, in a prison of sand and sun. My family is here. And I do not know whom I can trust.</i><br />
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In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad has been torn from the love of her husband Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once believed him a monster, but his secrets revealed a man tormented by guilt and a powerful curse—one that might keep them apart forever. Reunited with her family, who have taken refuge with enemies of Khalid, and Tariq, her childhood sweetheart, she should be happy. But Tariq now commands forces set on destroying Khalid's empire. Shahrzad is almost a prisoner caught between loyalties to people she loves. But she refuses to be a pawn and devises a plan.<br />
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While her father, Jahandar, continues to play with magical forces he doesn't yet understand, Shahrzad tries to uncover powers that may lie dormant within her. With the help of a tattered old carpet and a tempestuous but sage young man, Shahrzad will attempt to break the curse and reunite with her one true love.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image and summary taken from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23308084-the-rose-the-dagger">Goodreads</a>)</span></div>
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I thought nothing could compare to the beauty that is <i>The Wrath and the Dawn</i>... but I was wrong. Renée Ahdieh managed to completely outdo herself with <i>The Rose and the Dagger</i>, everything was a thousand times more overwhelming and more amazing and just <i>more. </i>I honestly just sobbed my way through this book and not because it was super sad, but due to the fact that everything was so glorious that I couldn't react any other way. My heart was so full of everything that I just needed to release all those feels (it was either cry or laugh hysterically).<br />
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I didn't think it was possible but I fell even more in love with <span style="text-align: start;">Shahrzad in <i>The Rose and the Dagger</i>, her personality was the same but there were also signs of change in her. She was so brave and so sassy that I was tempted to bow down to her (#queen). But in all seriousness, </span><span style="text-align: start;">Shahrzad's journey in this book was so filled with love and selfless, there was never a moment in the book that she every thought about herself, she was either thinking about </span>Khalid, Irsa, Tariq and pretty much everyone else. She had so many difficult decisions to make and being the intelligent girl she was, she was able to navigate properly and find the right path. I really enjoyed all the scenes wherein she was working on getting to know more about herself and her gifts, it was such a treat to read about her experience (also, the carpet!). From the beginning to the end of this book, <span style="text-align: start;">Shahrzad embodied exactly what she was, a queen.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">I don't think there will ever be a couple in YA that will surpass </span><span style="text-align: start;">Shahrzad and Khalid's love, in my opinion. This whole series is basically about their passion and longing for each other and you will literally feel it pouring out of the pages. It was so surreal to have experienced such a completely profound love that didn't need words to be expressed; actions really do speak louder than words. </span><span style="text-align: start;">Shahrzad and Khalid's love is the type of feeling that would probably give world peace, it's the type that songwriters write about, exactly the type readers love to read about -- it was a complete blast to the senses.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Everyone in <i>The Rose and the Dagger </i>had their own journey, there were multiple points-of-view and they were executed perfectly (again). There were times wherein some scenes would get too much of something and the POV gets shifted in the next scene and I really appreciated that because it was a reprieve from that something and even more than that, it was an opportunity to get to know the characters in the novel. I absolutely loved reading Irsa's POV, her coming of age and finding herself was a beautiful sight to see unfold. All the characters each had a distinct role to play that will surprise anyone and everyone. Speaking of surprises...</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">I seriously could not take all the twists in this book. Like, give my heart a break, Re</span>née Ahdieh! Everything was so shocking that I had to take moments to myself to absorb and process what the hell just happened (did that seriously really happen?!?!?!). A friend of mine told me to guard my heart and that is also my advice to anyone who is going to devour this book because you are NOT prepared for all the crazy and incredible and gut-wrenching things Renée Ahdieh has in store for you, I kid you not.</div>
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I love that <i>The Wrath and the Dawn </i>is a duology because for me, it really says a lot about an author who can control the pace of his/her writing. Reading the books has been such an interactive process because Renée Ahdieh really includes the reader in her writing, she invites whoever is reading to come up with predictions, conclusions and even world-building. It was such a fascinating thing to experience. And can I just say? The end of this book and the series was perfect. Completely and absolutely perfect. You'll know what I mean when you read this phenomenal book.</div>
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Just an aside, I remember fangirling about Renée Ahdieh and her awesome, awesome details and food and I can guarantee to you that you will experience all of that and more in this novel. The food. Oh Lord. I was so tempted to munch on the pages because everything looked, smelled and sounded so good! Renée Ahdieh really has a talent for exceptional details and gorgeous writing.</div>
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If I could pick out every single star in the sky to give to this book as a rating, I would. And even then, they would not be enough because <i>The Rose and the Dagger </i>is everything anyone could ever want in a book: unbelievably gorgeous writing, a headstrong heroine, minor characters who shine and a stunning and unexpected ending. I just want to thank Renée Ahdieh for gifting the world with her extraordinary duology, it has been such a pleasure and honour to read and I am so freaking glad that I picked it up. Everyone need to experience this stunning series.</div>
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-14226528588290193002016-04-09T21:00:00.000+08:002016-04-09T21:00:08.143+08:00ARC Review: Dreamers Often Lie by Jacqueline West<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Title: Dreamers Often Lie</div>
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Author: Jacqueline West</div>
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Publisher: Dial Books</div>
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Publication date: Aprill 5th 2016</div>
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Buy the book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dreamers-Often-Lie-Jacqueline-West/dp/0803738633">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dreamers-often-lie-jacqueline-west/1121997581">Barnes and Noble</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25613888-dreamers-often-lie"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAnfv_i7EtfZP1D9DlSbV4pLE7ysScnz2jdDOEEF4rNQoRPFSPdaOUbNEtF_WhIuGJmnvCJ6x87pVvgxaCJmCpzxIrMUNtOps1lG5FyJWySai00MX8Wg9tMednAagrMSjnkWEQ7xTPPbo/s1600/AddtoGoodreads.png" /></a><br />
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Jaye wakes up from a skiing accident with a fractured skull, a blinding headache, and her grip on reality sliding into delusion. Determined to get back to her starring role in the school production of <i>A Midsummer Night's Dream</i>, Jaye lies to her sister, her mom, her doctors. She's fine, she says. She's fine. If anyone knew the truth - that hallucinations of Shakespeare and his characters have followed her from her hospital bed to the high school halls - it would all be over. She’s almost managing to pull off the act when Romeo shows up in her anatomy class. And it turns out that he's 100% real. Suddenly Jaye has to choose between lying to everyone else and lying to herself.<br />
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Troubled by the magnetic new kid, a long-lost friend turned recent love interest, and the darkest parts of her family's past, Jaye’s life tangles with Shakespeare's most famous plays until she can't tell where truth ends and pretending begins. Soon, secret meetings and dizzying first kisses give way to more dangerous things. How much is real, how much is in Jaye's head, and how much does it matter as she flies toward a fate over which she seems to have no control?<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image and summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25613888-dreamers-often-lie">Goodreads</a>)</span></div>
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This book was trippy as heck. I want to read <i>Dreamers Often Lie </i>because I have a huge love for anything psychological and messed up but this novel was just one confused bundle of words. There were moments wherein I would find myself enjoying the scenes and then the moments passes because I get all kinds of confused again. Even after finishing the book, I still don't really even know what the whole plot is; all I have are fragmented pieces that I don't really even know how to put together.<br />
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I felt <i>so </i>bad for Jaye as I was reading all the things she was going through; other than having a head injury and hallucinating Shakespeare and his characters, she also had typical high school drama (emphasis on boy drama) so she did have a lot on her plate. But what was really so interesting in being in her head is that you get to experience firsthand the slow unraveling of her mind, it was so fascinating seeing her memories war with each other and it really makes you wonder if a lot of the things you're reading is actually <i>true</i>. But unfortunately, being in Jaye's head was so much more fun(?) than having to experience her everyday life. Even though her mind was kind of messed up, it was so much more straightforward than what was happening outside.<br />
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Writing-wise, I'd give Jacqueline West a thumbs up and half. There were moments where the prose was stunning, like I'd just bask in the darkness and intricacies of her writing but there were also times wherein everything felt disjointed. The shifting scenes and personalities bothered me a bit and kind of paused my enjoyment of what was happening. Also, I still have a lot of questions. <i>A lot</i>. I don't think I'm ever getting them answered since this is looking to be a standalone but seriously, that ending was really unsatisfactory. It wasn't one that would make a reader not his/her head because it was genius, no, it'll just confuse you and make you wonder if you bought an unfinished copy.<br />
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All in all, I appreciate Jacqueline West's effort (I know this is her first YA novel) and the uniqueness of <i>Dreamers Often Lie </i>made it an interesting read. Did I love it? No. Did I like it? I liked it enough (if only I wasn't so mind-effed by the end of it). There were parts of this book that really shined (scenes wherein Jaye would interact with Shakespeare and his characters) and there were parts that really just didn't belong (Pierce, why are you even in this book?) but the writing and those special scenes were enough to pull this book up. Don't bother looking for a plot though, because there isn't one.</div>
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-92227985756823850992016-04-02T14:33:00.000+08:002016-04-02T14:33:35.778+08:00Stacking the Shelves (31)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by <a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/">Tynga's Reviews</a>! It's where bloggers can share what they got for review, bought, borrowed, won or gifted (both physical and eBooks may be included! :D)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">Here are the awesome bookish things I got recently:</span></div>
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<b><u>For review:</u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdNzkzax-WXfVIIjOqSOb4Dlg7tTt5cUy-EdG42occQsVmmH6uJ2ugSVSfKTCwk_D_WNi9Q8SSceXYRQLZdEo91j8tCyACdNgleXNIQgFXfC6ZHXAWkPAOKEAT5eSVFQVmvXY6qcw1GyD/s1600/20160320_162225-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdNzkzax-WXfVIIjOqSOb4Dlg7tTt5cUy-EdG42occQsVmmH6uJ2ugSVSfKTCwk_D_WNi9Q8SSceXYRQLZdEo91j8tCyACdNgleXNIQgFXfC6ZHXAWkPAOKEAT5eSVFQVmvXY6qcw1GyD/s320/20160320_162225-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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*ARC* Dreamers Often Lie by Jacqueline West (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25613888-dreamers-often-lie?from_new_nav=true&ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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*ARC* The Glittering Court (The Glittering Court #1) by Richelle Mead (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27272506-the-glittering-court?from_new_nav=true&ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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*ARC* The Rose and the Dagger (The Wrath and the Dawn #2) by Renee Ahdieh (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23308084-the-rose-the-dagger">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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*ARC* A World Without You by Beth Revis (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27272505-a-world-without-you?from_new_nav=true&ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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*ARC* The Reader (Sea of Ink and Gold #1) by Traci Chee (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25064648-the-reader?from_new_nav=true&ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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*ARC* Everyone We've Been by Sarah Everett (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28503698-everyone-we-ve-been">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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*ARC* And I Darken (The Conquerors Saga #1) by Kiersten White (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27190613-and-i-darken">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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<b><u>Bought:</u></b></div>
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The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18798983-the-wrath-and-the-dawn?from_new_nav=true&ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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[My review <a href="http://the-soul-sisters.blogspot.com/2016/04/review-wrath-and-dawn-by-renee-ahdieh.html">HERE</a>.]</div>
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<b><u>SWAG:</u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsov4iFcoBrgRM1f-gKVlXVlyOVXcBTiS5i-U5WFi9EESpWVZERArrsz58aCwbEQt0c4v2Nj483Myc5KgaWtjQonYGyArWzTkWrrCMkB2NEDAQ6cHaYOhxrq_jkbjM6h7zoGzA1xgdyU3r/s1600/20160319_152308-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsov4iFcoBrgRM1f-gKVlXVlyOVXcBTiS5i-U5WFi9EESpWVZERArrsz58aCwbEQt0c4v2Nj483Myc5KgaWtjQonYGyArWzTkWrrCMkB2NEDAQ6cHaYOhxrq_jkbjM6h7zoGzA1xgdyU3r/s320/20160319_152308-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So many thanks to my amazing friends over at Penguin Random House International for sending over this <i>sweet </i>batch of books + swag. And also to Kate Evangelista for the cool <i>No Love Allowed </i>swag.</div>
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What did <i>you </i>get in the mail recently? Leave me a comment below and I'll check your post out!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49S8l5x8R2RF6s987rm488Oe3H3-4n8CliJ0gpej-Y7aq5E0z8jg7j0i8S3xAVrxzoR6_IvoDLJnqHimcTu9gsuPPKNwVyxfsD4ZM45mrTkQ7xkPRxDozbaJ_cF_iQCYemzEzBZCAc4YA/s1600/xx+Louisse.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49S8l5x8R2RF6s987rm488Oe3H3-4n8CliJ0gpej-Y7aq5E0z8jg7j0i8S3xAVrxzoR6_IvoDLJnqHimcTu9gsuPPKNwVyxfsD4ZM45mrTkQ7xkPRxDozbaJ_cF_iQCYemzEzBZCAc4YA/s1600/xx+Louisse.png" /></a></div>
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-20818241948749603642016-04-01T21:00:00.000+08:002016-04-01T21:00:03.904+08:00Review: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Title: The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1)<br />
Author: Renée Ahdieh<br />
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers<br />
Publication date: May 12th 2016<br />
Buy the book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Wrath-Dawn-Ren%C3%A9e-Ahdieh/dp/0399171614">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wrath-and-the-dawn-renee-ahdieh/1120422062">Barnes and Noble</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18798983-the-wrath-and-the-dawn"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAnfv_i7EtfZP1D9DlSbV4pLE7ysScnz2jdDOEEF4rNQoRPFSPdaOUbNEtF_WhIuGJmnvCJ6x87pVvgxaCJmCpzxIrMUNtOps1lG5FyJWySai00MX8Wg9tMednAagrMSjnkWEQ7xTPPbo/s1600/AddtoGoodreads.png" /></a><br />
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<b>One Life to One Dawn.</b><br />
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In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.<br />
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Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?<br />
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Inspired by <i>A Thousand and One Nights</i>, <i>The Wrath and the Dawn</i> is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image and summary taken from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18798983-the-wrath-and-the-dawn">Goodreads</a>)</span></div>
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I am so tempted to smack myself to depriving my mind, body, heart and soul of this insanely beautiful book. I've read plenty of amazing novels in my time but oh Lord, I can promise you that I have only read one book other than <i>The Wrath and the Dawn </i>that I've deemed insanely beautiful. I did not know what to expect when I dove headfirst into <i>The Wrath and the Dawn </i>but it definitely wasn't this overwhelming story that gripped me from the first few chapters. I literally could not pull myself away from this book, I actually brought it with me everywhere. I kind of feel bad for not savouring it (because a book this beautifully written should definitely be savoured) but I feel like me devouring it as quickly as I did is a testament as to how amazing it is; which is, SO SO SOOO AMAZING.</div>
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If there's one thing I look for most in a Fantasy novel it's world-building. It is so hard to truly visual such a vast and complicated world without the aid of the author; and I think that R<span style="text-align: center;">enée Ahdieh has mastered the art of weaving intricate threads and creating a complex and imaginative realm that any reader would not want to leave. I fell in love with Khorasan </span>as much as I did with the people living in it.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">I feel like I fall in love with heroines in a daily basis but Shahrzad will always have a very special place in my heart. Her courage and honesty is so refreshing and so completely bold that her personality caught me off-guard. It was the honesty in her hatred for Khalid that drew him to her and it was also that aspect of her that appealed her to me. It was such a rough yet enthralling experience seeing her attitude shift and mould into someone so fiercely loyal and open-hearted. Shahrzad's compassion and empathy really touched my heart while her stubbornness and wit never failed to bring a smile to my face.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">My heart. Oh Lord, my heart. Renée Ahdieh's way with words broke my heart (in the best way possible) and built it up again. The slow yet intense build up in terms of Shahrzad and Khalid's romance is one of the best things I've ever experienced. My heart soared every moment they spent falling for each other, they were tension-filled, frustrating and so damn beautiful. I wish I could share all those amazing moments with you but you need to read the book for you to know what I'm talking about. This feeling cannot be explained, it can only be felt, completely and intensely. Thank you, </span>Renée Ahdieh, for letting me experience such complete love and magic. I never knew love would feel like this.<br />
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KHALID. I don't even know what to say. His character has rendered me speechless. *insert sobbing emojis* I wish you were real. *more sobbing emojis*<br />
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I applaud Renée Ahdieh for her attention to even the smallest of details. The amount of time spent describing things made the book kind of slow but it added so much to the entirety of the novel. The different textures and sensations that were described actually made me feel like I was experiencing everything myself. And even more than those, the food that were featured in <i>The Wrath and the Dawn</i>? Oh my god. My mouth would not stop watering from all the amazing smells and visuals I got from the food. My inner foodie was in absolute heaven.<br />
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Another thing that made this book so cohesive were the secondary characters. Jalal, Despina, Tariq, and the others gave <i>The Wrath and the Dawn </i>so much personality and, well, character. They may have just been minor characters but they each had a role to play that contributed plenty to the story. Their character arcs were so interesting and complex and I am looking forward to seeing where they go in <i>The Rose and the Dagger </i>(thank god I have an ARC, lol). There were minor characters that really took me by surprise and I am <i>very </i>intrigued.<br />
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However, there is more to <i>The Wrath and the Dawn </i>than just its amazing array of characters and generous descriptions. The different high tension moments gave the book its thrill and excitement. Since this novel is actually very rich and carefully paced, the amount of action sequences in it weren't too many but that's what fit the story. Renée Ahdieh knew when to give and when to hold back, there was a great balance in the book.<br />
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<i>The Wrath and the Dawn </i>is one of the best books I have read of all time and I am so thankful that I decided to grab copy of it. There is so much magic to be read and discovered in <i>The Wrath and the Dawn</i>, Renée Ahdieh's masterful story-telling will take you to newfound heights and places you've never imagined with complex and beautifully woven details and characters. I am in complete awe of this book.<br />
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-80280116965718467782016-03-25T21:00:00.000+08:002016-03-25T21:00:12.447+08:00ARC Review: Harmony House by Nic Sheff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXow3K0_tDaJDEjuqRgGXU0_vCMEfcZpJq2Rrx4ZGvWdjD1cEA9Zq1ry9h4Xv78ZQWM0ib9UFKZCmwWk88W-fVKRiioikxiXi0y97YblIrQrTEcJImfhRqU7CwHp5Ka2O0XVNxvKZRyJlb/s1600/25796019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXow3K0_tDaJDEjuqRgGXU0_vCMEfcZpJq2Rrx4ZGvWdjD1cEA9Zq1ry9h4Xv78ZQWM0ib9UFKZCmwWk88W-fVKRiioikxiXi0y97YblIrQrTEcJImfhRqU7CwHp5Ka2O0XVNxvKZRyJlb/s320/25796019.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Title: Harmony House<br />
Author: Nic Sheff<br />
Publisher: HarperTeen<br />
Publication date: March 22nd 2016<br />
Buy the book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Harmony-House-Nic-Sheff/dp/0062337092">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/harmony-house-nic-sheff/1122220524">Barnes and Noble</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25796019-harmony-house"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOy85ddF3JKSAq26uMnZYUobD4wzbMFNv9bcoXvFQxSqRlWE0MfV4ym_y9kJ-imK2eo89PwuythN4SoOV8Il77nxtW7lKgZMimOJR-Q6r3vYgBA5tcMDEfJBgRNGoJI5XxQBlenRIvUta/s1600/AddtoGoodreads.png" /></a><br />
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Jen Noonan’s father thinks a move to Harmony House is the key to salvation, but to everyone who has lived there before, it is a portal to pure horror.<br />
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After Jen’s alcoholic mother’s death, her father cracked. He dragged Jen to this dilapidated old manor on the shore of New Jersey to “start their new lives”—but Harmony House is more than just a creepy old estate. It’s got a chilling past—and the more Jen discovers its secrets, the more the house awakens. Strange visions follow Jen wherever she goes, and her father’s already-fragile sanity disintegrates before her eyes. As the forces in the house join together to terrorize Jen, she must find a way to escape the past she didn’t know was haunting her—and the mysterious and terrible power she didn’t realize she had.<br />
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A classic horror story finds a terrifying home in <i>Harmony House,</i> drawing on favorite tropes and edgy, modern characters to create a chilling tale of blame, guilt, and ghostly revenge.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image and summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25796019-harmony-house">Goodreads</a>)</span></div>
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Okay, I was actually really interested in <i>Harmony House</i> because it sounded so good on paper. I thought I would finally get a legit horror novel that would freak me out but nope, this book failed on all accounts; because as I was reading <i>Harmony House</i>, I viewed the scenes in the book like a movie. Slowly uncovering the secrets of the house and the Noonan family. But about two-thirds into the book, I felt like I was duped and if this book/movie wasn't free, I would want my money back.</div>
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Jen, the protagonist? I hated her. She was a shit character. I get that she was grieving for her mother's death but I didn't understand why she had to be so rude to her father. Sure, he's a religious zealot but to call him a "cocksucker" within his hearing distance? I really did not understand. And the way Jen reacted to some of the townspeople who were only being nice? Really not good. (And there was this scene in the latter part of the book which involved a bathtub after a storm, wherein she just brushed off this crazy thing that happened like it was no big deal when, in fact, it was a very big deal. Also, this big deal had no explanation whatsoever how it happened, why it happened or anything at all.)</div>
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One of the things that confused me about <i>Harmony House </i>is its time setting. Nic Sheff set the main parts of the novel in 1997 but I hardly saw any traces of that time in the book. I don't understand why he chose that particular year if nothing significant relevant to that time happened/was going to happen.</div>
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Regarding the actual plot/story of <i>Harmony House</i>, I was actually feeling this creepy vibe as I was slowly delving into the book. It started to kind of resemble <i>The Amityville Horror </i>but that all went down the drain when Rose, this nice lady with a gift, mentions Jen's power. WHY. Why did Nic Sheff have to ruin the book with all that "You're gifted" crap? Even more than that, I feel like this book was confused whether it should be a thriller or a horror novel because there is zero explanation as to how things came to be. Hell, the prologue didn't even make any sense by the end of the book. Everything was so disjointed and so unorganised. <i>Harmony House </i>lacked explanations and not in a teasing way that you normally find in horror movies/books, it was as if Nic Sheff would throw out ideas into the book and then drop them abruptly with no reason at all (he doesn't even tell you why its there and how it happened).</div>
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<i>Harmony House </i>failed, not only as a horror novel but as a book, period. I was a confused mess majority of the book when all I really wanted were some answers; answers that I never got. I was stuck with a mean/unlikable-and-not-in-a-good-way MC, a creepy dad, a hella confusing house and questions that don't mean anything anymore. <i>Harmony House </i>went downhill, and fast.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Rating:</span></div>
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-54740786457237544742016-03-23T13:47:00.000+08:002016-03-24T10:54:07.310+08:00{Event Recap} #SarahJMaasinPH + Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm22yyJt6sUf1f54wlq_cQYfzGBdEZE-fqXh5tE136L_m7k9XKCeMXhZN-MOqrf8ip0Lp4wGUl8ytS7sTQIVpNx58qPSnlNlzUC5tfEoclBFYuDaR7Itc8_bV5j91AxQV859xLdbu0Hw-V/s1600/Poster+-+Sarah+Maas_zpsvwzn7sgq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm22yyJt6sUf1f54wlq_cQYfzGBdEZE-fqXh5tE136L_m7k9XKCeMXhZN-MOqrf8ip0Lp4wGUl8ytS7sTQIVpNx58qPSnlNlzUC5tfEoclBFYuDaR7Itc8_bV5j91AxQV859xLdbu0Hw-V/s320/Poster+-+Sarah+Maas_zpsvwzn7sgq.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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It's been more than a week since #SarahJMaasinPH and I still haven't moved on; because oh my god, that event was literally THE BEST one I have ever been to. March 13th will always hold an insanely special place in my heart because it's the day my fellow Filipino Firehearts got to experience that all consuming joy and elation I felt when I first met Sarah at BookCon last May 2015. Now, 10 months later, I got to see Sarah again (minus the tears but plus the mini-freak out the night before). I think #SarahJMaasinPH was also the most intense and heavily guarded events National Book Store has ever had because the number of people that camped out was insane. The event was on a Sunday (registration starts at 10 AM) and there were already people outside the bookstore as early as 5:30 AM of Saturday. I have so much respect for everyone who camped out because I don't think I could ever do that no matter which author it is (and trust me, I'm already a huge Sarah J. Maas fan). Not sure if you guys know but I run @<a href="http://twitter.com/ThroneofGlassPH">ThroneofGlassPH</a> on Twitter and you would not believe the number of tweets I got late Saturday asking me to update as to how many persons there were already in line (since there was a 350 person limit), meaning that I got 40% sleep that night and had to function on Starbucks the next day.</div>
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While I may not have camped out like the other Filipino Firehearts, I did get up extra early to hand out swag to the first 200 persons in line and holy crap, when I got there, there were over 200 persons in line and it was just around 7 AM. It was crazy but also exciting because I got to see how insanely dedicated Sarah's Filipino readers were.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnL3Mud_RNszWF22_EUVWM1L5Ff5cmZlbyOpV8dvnb-fV3vg5ncJNvP9Ab2WhYlAydx9o0loVg5ItpqJRMCuv0VTcEyTl6uBvM426kI8cl1ISeX5DxXxWA5dK6TQEjz3RHAa5bmLE-KmmQ/s1600/CcMIDqpUAAAKURv.jpg-large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnL3Mud_RNszWF22_EUVWM1L5Ff5cmZlbyOpV8dvnb-fV3vg5ncJNvP9Ab2WhYlAydx9o0loVg5ItpqJRMCuv0VTcEyTl6uBvM426kI8cl1ISeX5DxXxWA5dK6TQEjz3RHAa5bmLE-KmmQ/s320/CcMIDqpUAAAKURv.jpg-large.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here are the pieces of swag I had to give out.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR22_m08uuQZHLoddO02HX67BcK_WUeEN5qfMK8lNMoogadg8p8PLfnfvya1QDGP41KToGgQOosXXpUFiS25BBiXm6iYPc621JRn9Scda8TaWwHgo3uWTP7FHHgxIIAjk-5BL8HN93N3_G/s1600/1914797_10209209321414521_6366335416294548364_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR22_m08uuQZHLoddO02HX67BcK_WUeEN5qfMK8lNMoogadg8p8PLfnfvya1QDGP41KToGgQOosXXpUFiS25BBiXm6iYPc621JRn9Scda8TaWwHgo3uWTP7FHHgxIIAjk-5BL8HN93N3_G/s320/1914797_10209209321414521_6366335416294548364_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me handing out swag to people in line. I got super nervous because<br />
I thought I left the buttons at home and I hella panicked, lol. Also,<br />
had a feeling that some people thought I was a total weirdo. 😂 #ohwell</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0cWe0B4b2iee_Hr3WP3ndW6kosRC0xvbsoU2Q0Lp1hDgIeUnEjMHOBuzhWuhUKDjpLxpVQEs1VrJ08z-HWs-KaMMm31ta68jqD5ve87x1GzV8Azxu1a3FEHzWbO55a4ZGpKFudovP7q-/s1600/CdY0q-IUIAIG1_4.jpg-large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0cWe0B4b2iee_Hr3WP3ndW6kosRC0xvbsoU2Q0Lp1hDgIeUnEjMHOBuzhWuhUKDjpLxpVQEs1VrJ08z-HWs-KaMMm31ta68jqD5ve87x1GzV8Azxu1a3FEHzWbO55a4ZGpKFudovP7q-/s400/CdY0q-IUIAIG1_4.jpg-large.jpeg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With my Twitter friends, Pam (left) and Karen (centre).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA7UJeoJR7LUozEBn5VD0Cd-WP1i2nj832Q31g5-b_VOAv2-k4wrmJiLk0t1tlw0sk1wcvYVeLcChqZIHqjMAHXOrJvuIR1a8Xib7U_WGw_9vpOOBY80E8eigSeS48tOgaqIudHJIUnwr3/s1600/1623557_10209209328374695_4219896675871038286_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA7UJeoJR7LUozEBn5VD0Cd-WP1i2nj832Q31g5-b_VOAv2-k4wrmJiLk0t1tlw0sk1wcvYVeLcChqZIHqjMAHXOrJvuIR1a8Xib7U_WGw_9vpOOBY80E8eigSeS48tOgaqIudHJIUnwr3/s320/1623557_10209209328374695_4219896675871038286_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Them bouncers tho. They were legit super awesome and cool.<br />
Sarah was the first ever author to have bouncers at the event.<br />
#queen</td></tr>
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After I finished giving out swag (with the help of my lovely friend, Hazel of <a href="http://staybookish.net/">Stay Bookish</a>), Kate (<a href="http://thebookaholicblurbs.blogspot.com/">The Bookaholic Blurbs</a>), Hazel and I crossed over to Greenbelt for some much needed caffeine. We met up with the other bloggers there and then made our way to the bloggers forum. Unfortunately, I missed much of the pre-forum fun because I had some other very exciting business to attend to but it was so great to see my blogger friends and chill with them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ylwD1yGdXBP6xlReRm2v4MqzXjq87fVHJPh5VZIgCG5rXUCGuhkYb0LArraoDCuOmCu6_RYlqfzKroSxsD5OiD7LOXeaagU49ydFptwnMwM-kVeONnDOnAikK_vGkuW_xgxiSEXI5HSN/s1600/10322823_10209209330814756_1184375044645514955_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ylwD1yGdXBP6xlReRm2v4MqzXjq87fVHJPh5VZIgCG5rXUCGuhkYb0LArraoDCuOmCu6_RYlqfzKroSxsD5OiD7LOXeaagU49ydFptwnMwM-kVeONnDOnAikK_vGkuW_xgxiSEXI5HSN/s320/10322823_10209209330814756_1184375044645514955_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little selfie at Starbucks with my buddies, Kate (left) and Hazel (right).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv45TsB4TzMFnpjqCB5AqNdHbTmYsMHELgeZvfufxUknXfpv49RZQligJbeTo3Q7asfD_UI76pfU9hQSu8eqiCZm6kBkzgkW7fF6vPwclOUtcd2ZupDQR8kJtG0YYB4lfal4U6_MYFqZYH/s1600/CdY0GLAUAAAd6pO.jpg-large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv45TsB4TzMFnpjqCB5AqNdHbTmYsMHELgeZvfufxUknXfpv49RZQligJbeTo3Q7asfD_UI76pfU9hQSu8eqiCZm6kBkzgkW7fF6vPwclOUtcd2ZupDQR8kJtG0YYB4lfal4U6_MYFqZYH/s400/CdY0GLAUAAAd6pO.jpg-large.jpeg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were at Starbucks when I found out<br />
that #SarahJMaasinPH was a trending topic!<br />
WOOHOO.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjivHZlsmF6RBfYcpeBddjbuLEVoZ9pr-9YnluF5JALGXG9f2_n_3DOk9lFyOuqY_clwo4u0eQBrNH79dOtURueAu17uh4CS3Drat25lukr4Mw-dsVNdmXwfaDDv0dD5xyRPTeW4QAV1BcO/s1600/12895328_1073938739294141_811868680_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjivHZlsmF6RBfYcpeBddjbuLEVoZ9pr-9YnluF5JALGXG9f2_n_3DOk9lFyOuqY_clwo4u0eQBrNH79dOtURueAu17uh4CS3Drat25lukr4Mw-dsVNdmXwfaDDv0dD5xyRPTeW4QAV1BcO/s400/12895328_1073938739294141_811868680_n.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah passionately answering a question.</td></tr>
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Here are some things we learned during the forum:<br />
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<ul>
<li>If Sarah could change certain parts of the <i>Throne of Glass </i>series, she would because she'd constantly be editing the book if she was left to her own devices and then she'd never be able to release a book every year if that happened (which is why she has an editor to go back and forth with about the books and keeps her at a certain pace).</li>
<li>As she writes, Sarah learns something new not just as an author, but also as a person.</li>
<li>She wrote <i>Throne of Glass </i>when she was sixteen and the next two books between high school and university.</li>
<li>Sarah's favourite book of hers is usually the one that's about to be released because it symbolises how much she's grown as a writer (she actually panics every time she writes a draft, she normally seems bad to her, she constantly agonizes over every book she writes).</li>
<li>Sarah has the biggest mouth ever (according to her). She had so much anxiety over the <i>Empire of Storms </i>title release because the two graphics (the teaser and the title one) were side by side on her phone and she was scared that she would accidentally post the title graphic instead of the teaser one on Instagram.</li>
<li>Her childhood was filled with different foreign fairytales and if she could write a retelling it would be of <i>Vasilisa the Beautiful </i>(Sarah was so into Russian folklore that she took a class on it in college) but the inspiration for the retelling hasn't hit her yet but she's hoping it does. (Baba Yaga from <i>Vasilisa the Beautiful </i>inspired the Ironteeth witches.)</li>
<li>Sarah is a hybrid of a pantser and a plotter: She likes to know how the story will start and end (as well as what epic and romantic events will happen) but as the story flows, she likes to listen to her characters and let them guide her. Usually, when Sarah loses interest in a project she's working on, it's because a character has stopped speaking to her or she's stopped hearing what they have to say and she has to revisit.</li>
<li>Regarding ships, she had one in mind that she wanted to get to but also wanted Celaena to guide her (she didn't want to force Celaena into boxes to serve the story), she listened and let Celaena speak to her.</li>
<li>In the novellas (see <i>The Assassin's Blade</i>), she listened to Arobynn when it came to sending Celaena off to the desert (it was something she never saw coming).</li>
<li>LOTS OF SAD THINGS IN <i>EMPIRE OF STORMS</i>. Sarah: "I'm so evil." (You are, Sarah, you are.)</li>
<li>There are a <i>lot </i>of secrets in <i>A Court of Mist and Fury </i>(Sarah wrote ACOTAR back in 2009 when her agent was on maternity leave and wrote ACOMAF around that time as well). When she sold <i>A Court of Thorns and Roses </i>to Bloomsbury, she had a lot of time to really build layers and secrets in ACOMAF as she was editing it. The Night Court is layered with secrets. (Eeeeeee!) And ACOMAF will feature a lot of old and new characters. There are also action sequences in ACOMAF that are sort of disgusting but really fun. Lots of sexy times in ACOMAF that its tag line should be "Now with 400% more sexy times!" (Sarah banned her family from reading it because she'll never be able to look them in the eyes.)</li>
<li>She can't talk about the characters involved in the Target exclusive of <i>A Court of Mist and Fury</i>. (You can pre-order/read about it <a href="http://intl.target.com/p/only-at-target-a-court-of-mist-and-fury-court-of-thorns-and-roses-series-2-exclusive-content-by-sarah-j-maas/-/A-50820216">HERE</a>.)</li>
<li>The map in ACOTAR was kind of blank (which was intentional) but it gets a bit more filled in ACOMAF and even more in book 3. The map is a reflection of Feyre's scope of the fae world and how much she knows about it.</li>
<li> The best writing advice she'd received isn't about the technical parts of writing but about being in a community of writers. She wouldn't be where she is today had other authors not reached out to her. Sarah also does whatever she can to give back to aspiring writers in thanks to those who have helped her; it's a circle and chain where every writer is connected. (Mandy Hubbard really helped her out, reaching out to her on FictionPress and offering help.)</li>
<li>Celaena came to Sarah's head fully formed but she had to get to know Celaena, starting from the smallest of details (what food Celaena likes, etc). In the first draft of ACOTAR, Feyre wasn't an artist, it was when she sold ACOTAR and her editor told her to get deeper into Feyre's character that Sarah noticed the way Feyre described and saw the world; Feyre noticed the texture and light in things, she saw things with an artist's eye. Sarah was able to build her character up with that, Feyre giving up her passion for art for/to feed her family.</li>
<li>When writing about strong heroines, Sarah wants to write women who are real people, about women with different strengths. (She believes that there is strength in kindness. And that she quiet ones are sometimes the strongest.) Sarah talks about Elide Lochan (from <i>Queen of Shadows</i>) and how she's handicapped but learns to cope with all the stuff that happens to her emotionally and uses her mind and observational skills more (especially in <i>Empire of Storms</i>). Because Sarah likes to write about different kinds of women with different strengths, she still gets excited over physically strong women, which she manifests with Celaena (whom Sarah writes into epic battle sequences and make her do badass stuff and still survive).</li>
<li>To get into a character's headspace, Sarah listens to music. <i>Heir of Fire </i>was the darkest she had to go and she listened to a lot of Kanye. *SPOILER ALERT (for <i>Crown of Midnight</i>)* (When Nehemia died, Sarah imagined her best friend dying to really get <i>there</i>. It was the worst thing ever.)</li>
<li>Every time she writes a sad scene, Sarah always cries a lot. *SPOILER ALERT (for <i>The Assassin's Blade</i>)* When Sam died, she had to walk away from writing not because of his death but because her heart broke for Celaena. Even though Sarah says she enjoys her readers' tears, she actually suffers with her characters because she has to get into their heads and feel everything they're feeling.</li>
<li>It was so exhausting for her to write <i>Heir of Fire </i>because of how much she cried (she calls it the Migraine Book because she cried so much). However, <i>Heir of Fire </i>will always have a special place in her heart because she opened and pushed herself in ways she hadn't done before.</li>
<li>She cried <i>a lot </i>while writing <i>Empire of Storms</i>.</li>
<li>ACOTAR is set in a UK/Ireland type of place but in terms of writing the different fae in her books, she tries to deviate from just one place. Sarah researched all kinds of fae all over the world (she went into a Wikipedia spiral that just went on and on). The Naga came from Hindu mythology, some were inspired and some she made up on the spot. In ACOMAF, there's the Weaver in the Wood (she doesn't know where in her offed up head it came from but it was also kind of inspired by <i>Hansel and Gretel</i>.)</li>
<li>She wanted to write about about murder faeries and not about cute ones. Lots of horrible things are going to happen in ACOMAF. Also, it was fun for her to write about Feyre going against those types of faeries.</li>
<li>The Filipino readers have helped the fandom grow so much.</li>
<li>Sarah's biggest dream was to see her book in the shelves while being a <i>New York Times </i>bestseller was a dream she was secretly hoping for and she didn't see it coming.</li>
<li>While she was still on FictionPress, she used to write FanFiction of her stories (*ahem* smut *ahem*) wherein Rowan and Celaena would end up together because back then, that version of <i>Throne of Glass </i>did not lead in a direction wherein the two would be together.</li>
<li>Chaol's arc has always been tied with Dorian. He loves Dorian more than anyone else and he would choose Dorian before anything/anyone.</li>
<li>Sarah originally wanted to bring Manon and her Thirteen later in the books but knew that if she wanted to get Manon and the Thirteen where she needed them to be, she would need to bring them out in <i>Heir of Fire</i>. (Sarah's editor told her to cut out the ironteeth witch parts in <i>Heir of Fire </i>because the book was too long but she really pushed for them to stay.)</li>
<li>She wanted the Thirteen to reflect the different journeys they'd been on. (Ghislaine is black and it's not a big deal because they're so used to being mixed and it's normal for them.) And when it came to the gay characters, Sarah loved the idea of two lovers and the Thirteen who have had each others backs for a hundred years, they represent a different kind of love. She would love to write Thea and Kaya's story one day.</li>
<li>Sarah had a Wiccan phase as a teenager.</li>
<li>Her fear of the number thirteen was channeled into making the Thirteen (Sarah first made a list of names and then added different histories and characteristics for each).</li>
<li>Sarah didn't see Asterin's backstory coming/didn't know where it came from but knew that Asterin would be a part of the "baller, epic moment" she had planned, it was just her listening to her character. She can't write a novella about Asterin's life because it'll be like writing <i>The Assassin's Blade </i>plus Asterin tells her story beautifully on her own.</li>
</ul>
Whew, that was a lot! It was so much fun getting to interview Sarah and pick her brain a little (okay, a lot). All the little tidbits she told us only makes me more excited for ACOMAF and <i>Empire of Storms</i>. And after that fun Q&A, a lot of us got our books signed, Sarah was gracious enough to sign three books each for us and take some photos as well. (Get ready for a flood of photos in 3... 2... 1...)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqnDjvDp2vlyF41C2hVWwY5YSyC368kfZB_sPSrhh9GVvdFOj3mlvDGsMlPiCmOPteZE_oRFy4HrszIWEuykxlmzvZ7Xi7CxAXnYt6kKzzaH9Fkk-JkM798n1DJgvj-eMUMWYyPhyY-Qu/s1600/20160313_111051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqnDjvDp2vlyF41C2hVWwY5YSyC368kfZB_sPSrhh9GVvdFOj3mlvDGsMlPiCmOPteZE_oRFy4HrszIWEuykxlmzvZ7Xi7CxAXnYt6kKzzaH9Fkk-JkM798n1DJgvj-eMUMWYyPhyY-Qu/s400/20160313_111051.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah signing my copy of ACOTAR.<br />
She actually asked if she could start calling me Lou<br />
and I freaked out because eeee, I have a nickname! Lol.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ukYi_MwFsEiZNCJ5DJiTytMBQo6dUUwxDXa939B10cS5lCyCdmaAk7yLCLKpMWj-Ng9xvgewB8UiUiWW2vQUihuI-eDpo7KgIgkO5bPFvdqXlpdc6CdoKEbJO8XeGqhH2B7GN3NMQCB2/s1600/20160313_112303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ukYi_MwFsEiZNCJ5DJiTytMBQo6dUUwxDXa939B10cS5lCyCdmaAk7yLCLKpMWj-Ng9xvgewB8UiUiWW2vQUihuI-eDpo7KgIgkO5bPFvdqXlpdc6CdoKEbJO8XeGqhH2B7GN3NMQCB2/s320/20160313_112303.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hardest Selfie Ever 13.0 feat. THE QUEEN</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmbkJL_QoYr7laxeYElh1qk6eHgr8cTCZeHx_j0ra4Ud_ub_M1PFJN8TycsE6bXxbPaC-X29v_vJa7fuJdnOo6V94cPu1TLVgraN5rt5m0YCQTsmugrEhVeiIXpUocT6xSkJogMgnIYaJ/s1600/12814722_950725551671283_3318412581713187658_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmbkJL_QoYr7laxeYElh1qk6eHgr8cTCZeHx_j0ra4Ud_ub_M1PFJN8TycsE6bXxbPaC-X29v_vJa7fuJdnOo6V94cPu1TLVgraN5rt5m0YCQTsmugrEhVeiIXpUocT6xSkJogMgnIYaJ/s400/12814722_950725551671283_3318412581713187658_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The #KaiSelfie! Totally beats the Oscars selfie.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPBNbEiDyNgFKoyQuENi8o4ogh0XBB8vEc6wkHqIHBOswbrMVjONkUFEr61SrxTmAnD_Kaq4M8gV1oLK8K9EIUR3zQffq6fXozRjPmvIP3GWVlgpgWW1aQRMzO2OKRTSwNWr5PDjyR-RR/s1600/20160313_111900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPBNbEiDyNgFKoyQuENi8o4ogh0XBB8vEc6wkHqIHBOswbrMVjONkUFEr61SrxTmAnD_Kaq4M8gV1oLK8K9EIUR3zQffq6fXozRjPmvIP3GWVlgpgWW1aQRMzO2OKRTSwNWr5PDjyR-RR/s400/20160313_111900.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#Relationshipgoals right there.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu4xy0t5aS6QGNFz2gshKu9uNwK3vftMdmTJe4dR201ESOgyX2QtZN1hLxLdzZL7JzLDo3U01gTBDZwsYsYuZr95UZ1e4nKbqAr-gkhsK9pWFFaEzI8cwRcF2mrjJx62hoc3l8zqkezuOI/s1600/20160313_111304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu4xy0t5aS6QGNFz2gshKu9uNwK3vftMdmTJe4dR201ESOgyX2QtZN1hLxLdzZL7JzLDo3U01gTBDZwsYsYuZr95UZ1e4nKbqAr-gkhsK9pWFFaEzI8cwRcF2mrjJx62hoc3l8zqkezuOI/s400/20160313_111304.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chilling with #PapaMaas, nbd.<br />
The #PapaMaas hashtag actually started as a joke between me<br />
and my NBS friends but then we decided to just roll with it<br />
and it's amazing how popular it's become.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWgcU7Uh7MmRQjQn5iqV6TPZKBezlw9y1Nql1yWRIq3c3V1y3InLT0C5EQ6U88KNi82fYacDD8GL2GeNHuCY5eklTQDcq6xmbukn2j0r0LJayg8PiBo2K3Wb4YCwRTZ00lwb0H4-GUCAf/s1600/CGXOAi4UIAAYxzQ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWgcU7Uh7MmRQjQn5iqV6TPZKBezlw9y1Nql1yWRIq3c3V1y3InLT0C5EQ6U88KNi82fYacDD8GL2GeNHuCY5eklTQDcq6xmbukn2j0r0LJayg8PiBo2K3Wb4YCwRTZ00lwb0H4-GUCAf/s320/CGXOAi4UIAAYxzQ.jpg" width="178" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At BEA 2015.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiM2XJ1dMXkxRRfwdOPHPsg5w-aZkyBslSUZQ2ybfCrOdek5-I9gS7l1STcEY1AbBuIc-PS-EP4m7aJBdIseAl7jAbIF4BzXhDS8db-7vXsjosEhXAXiXJtaNg4lA2h3tYInzr8R0VTvrZ/s1600/20160313_112354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiM2XJ1dMXkxRRfwdOPHPsg5w-aZkyBslSUZQ2ybfCrOdek5-I9gS7l1STcEY1AbBuIc-PS-EP4m7aJBdIseAl7jAbIF4BzXhDS8db-7vXsjosEhXAXiXJtaNg4lA2h3tYInzr8R0VTvrZ/s320/20160313_112354.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10 months later.<br />
Sarah asked me if I wanted a proper selfie with her and I said,<br />
yes, of course.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwRR8iZMHRNbNf68nvnI1z2Bju6B6d5Vv4BYm6SnQjbt5F-nKlYzqiJlxn1BAArd0uD_mfLlhZLPBOwCDHAojHsbAMt2JQOV4DXUTPFSWYLznjJOAexGMnD8ebfdMnd5F1MOno19KDRtC/s1600/GM_20160319_205017.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwRR8iZMHRNbNf68nvnI1z2Bju6B6d5Vv4BYm6SnQjbt5F-nKlYzqiJlxn1BAArd0uD_mfLlhZLPBOwCDHAojHsbAMt2JQOV4DXUTPFSWYLznjJOAexGMnD8ebfdMnd5F1MOno19KDRtC/s320/GM_20160319_205017.gif" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A gif of my interaction with Sarah.<br />
She signed my Polaroid of the two of us.<br />
She also waited to see how it turned out,<br />
exclaiming that we were so cute. So I gave her<br />
a copy. ❤️ AND MASSIVE HUG</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXS2jAhTvlAutqFvP8Vdi3zbZ6C5yE1z5Nl_ZjVaLmiAdH_siN7WTpqQL99gzP0__yclBz_frNUPjLfhdYgJUI86A0bQbk5EWCcLPay8nRS_wgybSx-MAFSvfacxfzl42qZvUeDxi43mE/s1600/20160313_111826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXS2jAhTvlAutqFvP8Vdi3zbZ6C5yE1z5Nl_ZjVaLmiAdH_siN7WTpqQL99gzP0__yclBz_frNUPjLfhdYgJUI86A0bQbk5EWCcLPay8nRS_wgybSx-MAFSvfacxfzl42qZvUeDxi43mE/s400/20160313_111826.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A group photo of the bloggers with Sarah and #PapaMaas.</td></tr>
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And here is Sarah's message to the Filipino Firehearts (cue fangirl tears and flails):</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3otYY8Fh2f8" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(Hi! I'm Lou, lol.)</div>
</div>
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After that insanely amazing and fruitful bloggers' forum, my #TeamActiveRomance besties (Ly of <a href="http://defiantlydeviant.blogspot.com/">Defiantly Deviant</a> and Michelle of <a href="http://thetwinsread.blogspot.com/">The Twins Read</a>) and I headed over to our usual lunch place, Chili's. It was so much fun catching up with the two and talking about everything under the sun. We were all pretty high from the forum, gushing over how kind and beautiful Sarah was (we were all starstruck, really). It was an awesome lunch, as always.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0WacD5sGk2mG5c3mlywKRYkWoqbrnl851P7dDKcxw4tiXQlsnUjaM3AizLVX3qwnEOwkOmepZ8gE8vNfHXPtBIfBPNCuCPmq83sG-cW0bnMUEFmPG0bVTEH4Yz5TKmvgijBcqJFx0nVms/s1600/20160313_130410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0WacD5sGk2mG5c3mlywKRYkWoqbrnl851P7dDKcxw4tiXQlsnUjaM3AizLVX3qwnEOwkOmepZ8gE8vNfHXPtBIfBPNCuCPmq83sG-cW0bnMUEFmPG0bVTEH4Yz5TKmvgijBcqJFx0nVms/s400/20160313_130410.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#TeamActiveRomance (minus Geraldine and Nicole, boo)</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
After our eventful lunch, Lyra and I parted ways with M and the two of us went over to Glorietta 1 for the actual event. The 350 slots filled at around 9 AM (an hour before registration) and all the attendees were just chilling at the event area. Took a bunch of photos with people I frequently tweeted with online and also others who recognised me from my blog and even strangers who just wanted a photo, I totally felt like a celebrity. Lol.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbxZc8urUipaQVe0z2N1N-khfoN7wFQM7gU1qgAXNFfTkAdiEK_34qAXIADSdETcoRI9SD8swHoK52I6RVSIF1lx962hO81UVR4AaY07D5OfSJrUVkdDxAFKdV-tSYXW4Drsb3NjoYqVY/s1600/20160313_134509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbxZc8urUipaQVe0z2N1N-khfoN7wFQM7gU1qgAXNFfTkAdiEK_34qAXIADSdETcoRI9SD8swHoK52I6RVSIF1lx962hO81UVR4AaY07D5OfSJrUVkdDxAFKdV-tSYXW4Drsb3NjoYqVY/s400/20160313_134509.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A part of the crowd.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJivJ-r8zdG3olOj5rVdwxYKXQjL3rEeNHVsRsjA03CMiH1bXuKRnvHIoU1iDhm6jdP7WrL6ZWMNZuFpXxzU6eGKchQt4y5ETn-1tJBSM3hpVGfEEaERcTY9SuErAx3pnMkuBIyBObTh8/s1600/CdZ_TAXVAAAEN0o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJivJ-r8zdG3olOj5rVdwxYKXQjL3rEeNHVsRsjA03CMiH1bXuKRnvHIoU1iDhm6jdP7WrL6ZWMNZuFpXxzU6eGKchQt4y5ETn-1tJBSM3hpVGfEEaERcTY9SuErAx3pnMkuBIyBObTh8/s400/CdZ_TAXVAAAEN0o.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with Feyre and Celaena!<br />
(Best. Cosplayers. Ever. The Feyre one is 10000% on point.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyYzXTLi9mQoOLJqmy3C76Mg5UGN8ipeB0iq_f2DHDBRyMaDQyqXXRXUwqUC9smpZeeG-q6TY6TvQLUCWTA50Y9t6h-8dqfhPyi9HQVz8VIrUWweaX6SN9B8zwEqHZOkOmIv8bqF6dI4f7/s1600/CdZ_UlXUAAA4Boy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyYzXTLi9mQoOLJqmy3C76Mg5UGN8ipeB0iq_f2DHDBRyMaDQyqXXRXUwqUC9smpZeeG-q6TY6TvQLUCWTA50Y9t6h-8dqfhPyi9HQVz8VIrUWweaX6SN9B8zwEqHZOkOmIv8bqF6dI4f7/s400/CdZ_UlXUAAA4Boy.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sam Cortland back from the dead.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWK6fxom6eoMEQfzu2sK9MZ1zrLJf42abDRhrYiKmpNALL7MQ17Qpv_rf_TaJtiop-ysjO5uOYXAZhj4T6KUxpzeowSpNpgtOVdITLNsAcOVtMS77zmN9v4IghunVouEM1KV6zzFn650f/s1600/CdZ_GlnUIAA4VPQ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWK6fxom6eoMEQfzu2sK9MZ1zrLJf42abDRhrYiKmpNALL7MQ17Qpv_rf_TaJtiop-ysjO5uOYXAZhj4T6KUxpzeowSpNpgtOVdITLNsAcOVtMS77zmN9v4IghunVouEM1KV6zzFn650f/s320/CdZ_GlnUIAA4VPQ.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SO happy to have finally met Danielle, whom I absolutely LOVE<br />
chatting with on Twitter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEOFyJOZRelVuuQB_1FGo9biJMwQzEQaR6yp__BOe4BKWICHSUyYZjlerfl02HUwIRsbAj7FaCmcR7S8UFf3onEybmLYtzi6RKeedxWZzLAAqm2MfcpKC-hscViC2imNhSCCx5psaSCDwA/s1600/CdZ_IOwUAAEsK3B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEOFyJOZRelVuuQB_1FGo9biJMwQzEQaR6yp__BOe4BKWICHSUyYZjlerfl02HUwIRsbAj7FaCmcR7S8UFf3onEybmLYtzi6RKeedxWZzLAAqm2MfcpKC-hscViC2imNhSCCx5psaSCDwA/s320/CdZ_IOwUAAEsK3B.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With my other Twitter friend, MJ (center) plus her friend (left). 😘</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It was so great to meet my fellow Filipino Firehearts, they were all so enthusiastic and lively. So after I took photos with practically everyone, I stood by the door to wait for Sarah's arrival. People were screaming because every time they saw a car stop outside the store, they'd assume it was Sarah. But then a black car pulled up and oddly enough, Sarah saw me standing by the door and waved at me (she has eagle eyes, lol). And here is a short clip of the chaos that ensued when Sarah walked in:</div>
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<br /></div>
<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
<div style="text-align: center;">
The screams for <a href="https://twitter.com/SJMaas">@SJMaas</a> = INSANE. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SarahJMaasinPH?src=hash">#SarahJMaasinPH</a> <a href="https://t.co/MPYuqSbvf4">pic.twitter.com/MPYuqSbvf4</a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
— Sarah J. Maas PH (@ThroneofGlassPH) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThroneofGlassPH/status/708896679387267072">March 13, 2016</a></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So the event proper finally started with an interview with Sarah plus some fan questions. But before that all went down, this happened:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
HOLY 💩 GUYS This is legit one the BEST moments of my life. Sorry I was so shy. 😂 THANK YOU, <a href="https://twitter.com/SJMaas">@SJMaas</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SarahJMaasinPH?src=hash">#SarahJMaasinPH</a> <a href="https://t.co/T1h4SzK3lm">pic.twitter.com/T1h4SzK3lm</a></div>
— Sarah J. Maas PH (@ThroneofGlassPH) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThroneofGlassPH/status/709309451329675265">March 14, 2016</a></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I freaked the hell out when she called me out. It was definitely a deer-in-the-headlights moment for me. I was so flattered and honoured but I really did not know how to react. There was definitely some internal screaming/crying/blushing going on inside of me. Easily one of the greatest moments of my life.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The fan questions were insanely amazing (a lot of ship questions), there were a number of <i>Throne of Glass </i>and <i>A Court of Mist and Fury </i>questions (everyone was pumped for ACOMAF, #TeamRhys over here). And so the signing portion started and I sat by Sarah, talking photos of different interactions between Sarah and her Filipino Firehearts. My heart soared every time Sarah would reach over and hold on to her reader's hands and tell them something special (I promise that I did not eavesdrop). There were people who cried, who laughed and all of them were inspired and enthralled by Sarah's open-heart and genuineness.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QozyP7uhMGrlkSfiQqP3wBDPtT16crmRdnPzqPFRBANpZJgIAbPARpi35E5DIgUOTHeB-TJkCPZ_NQ4kUqoVj_ZOhRpjJZ2aTxeod32Qeq8fSBVGDzNkHLi6W-hxB7nK9H9waXhCfj6A/s1600/CdaZuSyVIAAVojr.jpg-large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QozyP7uhMGrlkSfiQqP3wBDPtT16crmRdnPzqPFRBANpZJgIAbPARpi35E5DIgUOTHeB-TJkCPZ_NQ4kUqoVj_ZOhRpjJZ2aTxeod32Qeq8fSBVGDzNkHLi6W-hxB7nK9H9waXhCfj6A/s400/CdaZuSyVIAAVojr.jpg-large.jpeg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah talking to a fan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIdgsrSqm4qJcbyjXlJb6bHfeVjJHRvt65zTu_LooJyN41wG54y8cXv35fEB4tKzF9mrHfkbhK5KNIFP7eMos3PPfl0BeGDqQrPwV0H4JGDAfx2vttg7T6J9a3D6-I1-_oFJLFwevGf5hZ/s1600/CdaXaiVUMAAriVa.jpg-large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIdgsrSqm4qJcbyjXlJb6bHfeVjJHRvt65zTu_LooJyN41wG54y8cXv35fEB4tKzF9mrHfkbhK5KNIFP7eMos3PPfl0BeGDqQrPwV0H4JGDAfx2vttg7T6J9a3D6-I1-_oFJLFwevGf5hZ/s320/CdaXaiVUMAAriVa.jpg-large.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#PapaMaas had his own signing line. He was Mr. Popular.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCA0bSRiNtEv9JJIBbzy6WhxArMag-bfLy-TyDiDH9hkph4weTCEanZeIZYd2pqsM2PCrrogFyT3z58fXF2ROWR3Z6S-nWdAnBhqQG2e5QbsUe1rneVbXXOeL6OPqTMQO935dloRATHYfG/s1600/Cdau1nYUIAAS7mQ.jpg-large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCA0bSRiNtEv9JJIBbzy6WhxArMag-bfLy-TyDiDH9hkph4weTCEanZeIZYd2pqsM2PCrrogFyT3z58fXF2ROWR3Z6S-nWdAnBhqQG2e5QbsUe1rneVbXXOeL6OPqTMQO935dloRATHYfG/s400/Cdau1nYUIAAS7mQ.jpg-large.jpeg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dead pool dropped by to say hi.<br />
I wonder if he'll make a cameo in any of Sarah's books.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXIzQizopaC418QyuFzn4dZSlnYZqNvBYuWpJLRN5t_sGam88TDN_0DnbWkRcPMZPx6ilWFx88JkDRgzlLmcShZrFXXlsEyOMCARymbopck9hAC2JAMOZutjHbTQzCFIKzXSXfZXLEqsT/s1600/10360687_10153462338201914_6696708659105286891_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXIzQizopaC418QyuFzn4dZSlnYZqNvBYuWpJLRN5t_sGam88TDN_0DnbWkRcPMZPx6ilWFx88JkDRgzlLmcShZrFXXlsEyOMCARymbopck9hAC2JAMOZutjHbTQzCFIKzXSXfZXLEqsT/s400/10360687_10153462338201914_6696708659105286891_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah with the awesome, awesome cosplayers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
And thus concludes my phenomenal #SarahJMaasinPH day. I will never <i>ever </i>forget March 13th. My one dream when I first met Sarah was to be able to share that beautiful experience with my Filipino Firehearts and I did because of NBS. I have so many people to thank for making that day/experience so special; I have never ending thanks to the amazing National Book Store team for making this girl's dream come true (Chad and JB -- you two are the actual best, to Louie, Miss Malou, Sheza and whomever else I may I have missed, thank you for all that you do!). My lovely blogger friends, Lyra and Michelle, I am so happy to share this moment with you and thank you for understanding my flailiness. Kai (<a href="http://amaterasureads.blogspot.com/">Amaterasu Reads</a>) and Kate, thank you for the photos! To my Twitter friends, @<a href="https://twitter.com/dncueco">dncueco</a>, @<a href="https://twitter.com/karenchii">karenchii</a>, @<a href="https://twitter.com/pamelamraz">pamelamraz</a> (who also runs @<a href="https://twitter.com/ThrnsAndAll">ThrnsAndAll</a>), @<a href="https://twitter.com/castergurl">castergurl</a> and whomever else I may have missed, our Twitter conversations never fail to make my day and I am so happy to finally have met you all; I hope your experience with meeting Sarah was everything you thought it would be and more. Thanks to my mom for driving me hella early to the venue because she knew I <i>had </i>to be there early -- thanks, ma! Love you!</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Last but never, ever the least, thank you so freaking much to Sarah J. Maas for saying yes to visiting our beautiful country. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank <i>you </i>so much for everything, Sarah! I am crossing all my fingers that you make it here again one day, the Philippines misses you greatly. So much love to you, Sarah.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Incase you were wondering what books I got signed, I had ACOTAR, <i>Throne of Glass </i>and of course, <i>Queen of Shadows </i>signed. Why <i>Queen of Shadows</i>? Other than the fact that it's my favourite book of Sarah's at the moment, my name is in the acknowledgements. I freaked out so much when I found out (I jumped around my house and my mom thought I was a loon).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxfHAGNmQdBqVH35__1pTeX3HpxNCTqM3gyZB2fpfKllOMwRshlo8dldDsIcCp7Tr8q_mHau-4PPP9Z3vJj4gx9F7m8epM9ezZ8OCK3Syvgn9ssuqCDLrWG38M2Mq_8gwHOpj7zCdKJBT/s1600/20160320_162939-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxfHAGNmQdBqVH35__1pTeX3HpxNCTqM3gyZB2fpfKllOMwRshlo8dldDsIcCp7Tr8q_mHau-4PPP9Z3vJj4gx9F7m8epM9ezZ8OCK3Syvgn9ssuqCDLrWG38M2Mq_8gwHOpj7zCdKJBT/s400/20160320_162939-1.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My copy of <i>Queen of Shadows </i>plus my Polaroid. I love how<br />
imperfect the picture is, it makes it all the more special to me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyddzmujWjHUvfW0Zd3z8iek6IJwP2DzXociGyrjIVE3Q9kn3e13Cq-aO7jBib3twKNZLwBAZm-aB65gYSBl1UBxV3fvk9Kfp2xrv9rQeAHOxIaDZc8NM-osuPw8TYh65dgamosjL2-G_I/s1600/20160320_163026-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyddzmujWjHUvfW0Zd3z8iek6IJwP2DzXociGyrjIVE3Q9kn3e13Cq-aO7jBib3twKNZLwBAZm-aB65gYSBl1UBxV3fvk9Kfp2xrv9rQeAHOxIaDZc8NM-osuPw8TYh65dgamosjL2-G_I/s320/20160320_163026-1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in <i>Queen of Shadows</i>. Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZZIbAgEkQpftkGoPvH3UFBdZq8NjzrROaSwjQgiqeSckVnjQM41xNsrgSb8rOsuTiUHJ68hhVn7_-0Z12x8ih4DgENTFQ4CvErH8md7f-OlZCyHiBBiSpbM1j8tIw1F2THAZhP2vLFA4/s1600/CdqiHa2UIAELlIA.jpg-large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZZIbAgEkQpftkGoPvH3UFBdZq8NjzrROaSwjQgiqeSckVnjQM41xNsrgSb8rOsuTiUHJ68hhVn7_-0Z12x8ih4DgENTFQ4CvErH8md7f-OlZCyHiBBiSpbM1j8tIw1F2THAZhP2vLFA4/s320/CdqiHa2UIAELlIA.jpg-large.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah and #PapaMaas's special message to the Filipino Firehearts.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxOHnJ3hjI3LBfixLDmN-bFRxZ-G1bcnm3A2OzKgczz5FaMFr4WsWOUseZ7zp7A6UecMbWucHCr3Kv8cJ_iwC4MNbQBrLDvaKcRUK94eEn8w2O4_r8ED-RFFJ_U3GUa9m4XTEdXmS-NUp/s1600/Giveaway.png" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxOHnJ3hjI3LBfixLDmN-bFRxZ-G1bcnm3A2OzKgczz5FaMFr4WsWOUseZ7zp7A6UecMbWucHCr3Kv8cJ_iwC4MNbQBrLDvaKcRUK94eEn8w2O4_r8ED-RFFJ_U3GUa9m4XTEdXmS-NUp/s1600/Giveaway.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
And here it is, the giveaway (the only reason some of you are here, lol). To start things off, this giveaway is open <u style="color: red;">INTERNATIONALLY</u> (yay!), just fill out the form and you're good to go! Wondering what you'll win? Look below:</div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPZ4LieSeQ43jO9WFtd8n4lLXfYi_S6tJHqXt7aERp1zkZeA66hXiw5f1nPVwKNHgr55DrE7OvP8lj35MgebXT9v9yZEct6I1dq8FFA-4q0BUk4LzRU-iYMuxQh-XFrmGAeXHiVV81Lml/s1600/20160322_142253-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPZ4LieSeQ43jO9WFtd8n4lLXfYi_S6tJHqXt7aERp1zkZeA66hXiw5f1nPVwKNHgr55DrE7OvP8lj35MgebXT9v9yZEct6I1dq8FFA-4q0BUk4LzRU-iYMuxQh-XFrmGAeXHiVV81Lml/s320/20160322_142253-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This hella awesome Sarah J. Maas themed swag pack!<br />
(You even get an elusive Prythian Court button.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="8cc6c3ca29" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/8cc6c3ca29/" id="rcwidget_4griasc5" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have another giveaway for you guys, you can win an <i>A Court of Thorns and Roses </i>prize pack (which includes a paperback of ACOTAR, a bookmark and a tattoo). This giveaway is open to residents of <u style="color: red;">US/CAN/UK/AUS</u>.</div>
<br />
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="8cc6c3ca30" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/8cc6c3ca30/" id="rcwidget_klk5lm77" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
That's it! Thank you so much for reading my recap. I hope to catch you at the next event!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Talk to you all on Twitter! (You can follow my <i>Throne of Glass</i>/ACOTAR<i> </i>fan Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/ThroneofGlassPH">HERE</a>.)</div>
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-54087842908440936982016-03-18T21:00:00.000+08:002016-03-18T21:00:18.036+08:00ARC Review: Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Title: Wink Poppy Midnight<br />
Author: April Genevieve Tucholke<br />
Publisher: Dial Books<br />
Publication date: March 22nd 2016<br />
Pre-order the book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Poppy-Midnight-April-Genevieve-Tucholke/dp/0803740484">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wink-poppy-midnight-april-genevieve-tucholke/1122226328">Barnes and Noble</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23203106-wink-poppy-midnight"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOy85ddF3JKSAq26uMnZYUobD4wzbMFNv9bcoXvFQxSqRlWE0MfV4ym_y9kJ-imK2eo89PwuythN4SoOV8Il77nxtW7lKgZMimOJR-Q6r3vYgBA5tcMDEfJBgRNGoJI5XxQBlenRIvUta/s1600/AddtoGoodreads.png" /></a><br />
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Every story needs a hero.<br />
Every story needs a villain.<br />
Every story needs a secret.<br />
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Wink is the odd, mysterious neighbor girl, wild red hair and freckles. Poppy is the blond bully and the beautiful, manipulative high school queen bee. Midnight is the sweet, uncertain boy caught between them. Wink. Poppy. Midnight. Two girls. One boy. Three voices that burst onto the page in short, sharp, bewitching chapters, and spiral swiftly and inexorably toward something terrible or tricky or tremendous.<br />
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What really happened?<br />
Someone knows.<br />
Someone is lying.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image and summary taken from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23203106-wink-poppy-midnight">Goodreads</a>)</span></div>
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<i>Wink Poppy Midnight </i>was one of my most anticipated reads of 2016 and trust me, I was not disappointed. April G. Tucholke took my expectations in her hands, crushed them into beautiful rainbow dust and blew them into the air for everyone to breathe in. Weird description? Exactly what I was going for because <i>Wink Poppy Midnight </i>was hella weird. I felt like I was either dreaming or high on something the whole time I was reading this book. It was wonderful but also incredibly alarming. It was such a surreal experience, but one I would love to relive over and over again.</div>
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Let's be honest, that synopsis is insanely vague. And when I read it the first time, I had a feeling that this book would be one hell of a trippy ride (I mean, look at that cover! It's really gorgeous but super odd and disjointed, you just know that this book is going to mess you up but in a way that you'll love). I was 10000% right. I felt like I had my head in the clouds the whole time I was reading <i>Wink Poppy Midnight</i>. I didn't know if what I was reading was real or some beautiful constructed metaphors that I needed to take the time to unravel for me to really understand. This is actually my first novel by April G. Tucholke but I already know how special her writing is, it was evident not just in the actual text, but in the messages lying beneath the printed words. Like I said, the whole experience was surreal and April G. Tucholke's writing just enhanced those odd but wondrous feelings.</div>
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Wink, Poppy and Midnight were three very distinct and unique characters. As I always mention, I am normally very impressed by authors who can tackle multiple POVs and do them justice, which is what April G. Tucholke did. She gave each of them their own voices and differentiated their characters in such a way that you would not confuse any of them for the other. (I was reading the ARC and I noticed that a Wink scene was labeled Midnight-- yes, those are actually their names-- and I immediately knew that it was mislabeled because their personas were so different from each other.) While Midnight seemed to have the most scenes in the books, I felt that Poppy and Wink were the real main characters in the novel. They were the beginning and the end, and they made the whole book. It was great seeing and feeling things from each of their eyes and bodies. It made the whole experience all the more otherworldly and interesting.</div>
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I think because so many things were up in the air, it was hard to ground and really concretise the different events in the novel. There were moments wherein I got confused but the characters would slowly lead me back onto the right path. I definitely had a lot of questions, most of them were answers but some of them were not. But I guess that's how April G. Tucholke planned her novel to be, one that would inspire questions and speculations within a reader.</div>
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I was very pleased with how <i>Wink Poppy Midnight </i>turned out, it was really the writing that gripped me and did not let me go. April G. Tucholke has turned me into a fan and I am definitely buying her other novels because I don't think I can stand not reading all of her works. <i>Wink Poppy Midnight </i>was a dream, one that stays in the back of your mind and slowly takes over your soul when you wake up. It was a wonderful and very unique treat!</div>
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-7500559017117474182016-03-14T20:58:00.000+08:002016-03-14T21:00:21.043+08:00{Event Recap} Victoria Aveyard Bloggers' Forum + Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZ5ki9ChEC8NVrfP7lEDB5j7nWLQzt_9zHi31Q0dB-Ps26iyHWNmi8VbZ5ZSLFtYqaZ_vxHIUqwBBeZky0o04nf1Ek_NslsVmpAvSv0fdS-vizFXjF0wubpyQUq00wcq8uIPn7PHkN7_m/s1600/Poster+-+Victoria+Aveyard_zpsigjc5lyl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZ5ki9ChEC8NVrfP7lEDB5j7nWLQzt_9zHi31Q0dB-Ps26iyHWNmi8VbZ5ZSLFtYqaZ_vxHIUqwBBeZky0o04nf1Ek_NslsVmpAvSv0fdS-vizFXjF0wubpyQUq00wcq8uIPn7PHkN7_m/s200/Poster+-+Victoria+Aveyard_zpsigjc5lyl.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8R3o_54ZdCGmBHzwsiASedum0Cquavfbgjq3VaZAV-P3IKlqzuFzwJujWWK1OVM5IDuJhpC3r5x_rKI-yxj04qFScAMpyFGtt1ZpmZK3ZTASiOztXF49dHik3ha866W7k2yZK4WTpaez/s1600/20160306_141329-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8R3o_54ZdCGmBHzwsiASedum0Cquavfbgjq3VaZAV-P3IKlqzuFzwJujWWK1OVM5IDuJhpC3r5x_rKI-yxj04qFScAMpyFGtt1ZpmZK3ZTASiOztXF49dHik3ha866W7k2yZK4WTpaez/s320/20160306_141329-1.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My signed copy of <i>Red Queen</i>.</td></tr>
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It was such a huge honour to have been invited to meet and interview Victoria Aveyard. Personally, I was really fascinated with the idea of the <i>Red Queen </i>series and it definitely got me all kinds of excited when National Book Stored announced that they would be bringing Victoria Aveyard to the Philippines. But even more than the excitement of meeting the talented <i>New York Times </i>best-selling author, March 6th was another chance for me to see my dear blogger friends (I had not seen them for more than three months!). It was such a fun and chill day and I enjoyed every minute of it. (It was a great break from the pressures of college life.)<br />
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Victoria Aveyard was gracious enough to let us put her on the hot seat and grill her about her writing and creative processes, book 3 and other fun things.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_63xIJtZkl-e7Pu1H3Jwrv6uCmKlGyGP_pvhpO7D2d_BQUY2r-r6Jc-RwNP-cU8CZEcEJsJQD7b5PrLQhVZYalRkBqvrAbq18IC22goBMnNA9ZrdlQ53bfOQ7rnyPLqTzo1imcQQqwHk/s1600/20160306_095152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_63xIJtZkl-e7Pu1H3Jwrv6uCmKlGyGP_pvhpO7D2d_BQUY2r-r6Jc-RwNP-cU8CZEcEJsJQD7b5PrLQhVZYalRkBqvrAbq18IC22goBMnNA9ZrdlQ53bfOQ7rnyPLqTzo1imcQQqwHk/s320/20160306_095152.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My lovely blogger friends looking beautiful and glamorous.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">V. Aveyard answering questions.</td></tr>
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Here are a few things we learned at the bloggers' forum;<br />
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<li>Victoria's advice for aspiring writers is to finish the first draft, no matter what and how long it will take as long as you get to the end. Also, just keep writing and don't edit yourself.</li>
<li>She also mentioned that action sequences and high tension moments are her most favourite parts to write (being a screenwriter, explosions and battle scenes are pretty much in her blood) and that she'd love for someone to teach her how to write romance because those are difficult for her.</li>
<li>Instead of starting with characters or the plot of the story, Victoria first started with the image of a girl in an arena about to be executed but instead kills her captors with lightning. To her, world-building is the most important aspect of a story and she asked herself "What world would this place take place in?" when she saw that image of Mare. Also, to Victoria, characters are extremely important because they give the story a personality.</li>
<li>In terms of different exciting sequences in her book, Victoria learned every story-telling trick in film school. To her, she has to constantly up the ante per book to keep that excitement because first and foremost, she is an entertainer ready to act for her readers.</li>
<li>Her top 3 Fantasy book/series are: <i>The Lord of the Rings </i>by J.R.R. Tolkien (carried around a battered copy of the book), the <i>Harry Potter </i>series by J.K. Rowling (she grew up with that series), and <i>The Song of Ice and Fire </i>by George R.R. Martin (because of the way he twists fantasy tropes, has no distinct protagonist/antagonist and the shades of grey morality he depicts in his books, Victoria tried to reflect that kind of value in <i>Red Queen</i>).</li>
<li>If she were to choose between writing a book or screen-writing, she would choose whichever she's not working on at the moment.</li>
<li>A lot of the names in <i>Red Queen </i>came out of thin air but Victoria also wanted to add a Roman twist to them. She usually translates words online.</li>
<li>In regards to the different powers/gifts featured in the book, she Wikipedia-d a complete list of superpowers and chose which ones she liked best/worked well with the plot.</li>
<li>The origin of the powers will be delved further in the future books.</li>
<li>There's no title yet for <i>Red Queen </i>3 but it starts immediately after <i>Glass Sword </i>and is a revelation book for Mare. She learns to trust not only others but also herself.</li>
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And that's it! I would have loved to go to the official even but holy crap, there were 1,200 attendees. It was such a huge shock to everyone but I'm glad that it turned out to be such a successful event. So just keep scrolling for more photos + a giveaway!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The infamous Kai selfie with the bloggers +<br />
V. Aveyard!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEM3x7s8OlQJmzxT89KMKyAxTxzObeRA8JV1inubQas6XhUdYCBH86vHn8sXmmk5JUfIYv2ukyWY-qARxXy_3cUlJiWNd9zQKz4n4ppIvhLim8nby-927nSQ6GLX-3wCX1LSiHcU3zFLFq/s1600/20160306_110028-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEM3x7s8OlQJmzxT89KMKyAxTxzObeRA8JV1inubQas6XhUdYCBH86vHn8sXmmk5JUfIYv2ukyWY-qARxXy_3cUlJiWNd9zQKz4n4ppIvhLim8nby-927nSQ6GLX-3wCX1LSiHcU3zFLFq/s320/20160306_110028-1.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with the beautiful V. Aveyard.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group photo!</td></tr>
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I will never get tired of the amazing and tireless National Book Store team for being so selfless and so generous. I am so honoured to call you my friends. Shout out to Chad, JB, Miss Malou, Louie, Sheza, Miss Maan and whomever else I may I have missed, thank you for bringing Victoria Aveyard over here and for <i>everything</i>. Huge thanks to Victoria for signing everyone's books and for all the fun! So much love to my blogger friends, I love you all! (Thanks to Kai from <a href="http://amaterasureads.blogspot.com/">Amaterasu Reads</a> for the Kai selfie photo + audio). And last but never the least, my parents for always being so supportive. I love you to pieces.</div>
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-36266327820652983732016-03-11T21:00:00.000+08:002016-03-11T21:00:19.836+08:00ARC Review: Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Title: Rebel of the Sands (Rebel of the Sands #1)</div>
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Author: Alwyn Hamilton</div>
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Publisher: Penguin</div>
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Publication date: March 8th 2016</div>
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Buy the book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rebel-Sands-Alwyn-Hamilton/dp/0451477537">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rebel-of-the-sands-alwyn-hamilton/1122135385">Barnes and Noble</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24934065-rebel-of-the-sands"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOy85ddF3JKSAq26uMnZYUobD4wzbMFNv9bcoXvFQxSqRlWE0MfV4ym_y9kJ-imK2eo89PwuythN4SoOV8Il77nxtW7lKgZMimOJR-Q6r3vYgBA5tcMDEfJBgRNGoJI5XxQBlenRIvUta/s1600/AddtoGoodreads.png" /></a><br />
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She’s more gunpowder than girl—and the fate of the desert lies in her hands.<br />
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Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mystical beasts still roam the wild and barren wastes, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinni still practice their magic. But there's nothing mystical or magical about Dustwalk, the dead-end town that Amani can't wait to escape from. <br />
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Destined to wind up "wed or dead," Amani’s counting on her sharpshooting skills to get her out of Dustwalk. When she meets Jin, a mysterious and devastatingly handsome foreigner, in a shooting contest, she figures he’s the perfect escape route. But in all her years spent dreaming of leaving home, she never imagined she'd gallop away on a mythical horse, fleeing the murderous Sultan's army, with a fugitive who's wanted for treason. And she'd never have predicted she'd fall in love with him...or that he'd help her unlock the powerful truth of who she really is.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image and summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24934065-rebel-of-the-sands">Goodreads</a>)</span></div>
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Holy crap. Holy craaap.</div>
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<i>Rebel of the Sands </i>was so amazing I am still stunned by its sheer greatness. I actually can't believe it's over, I kind of hate myself for reading it too fast but oh my god, I just couldn't stop. Once I got past the first few chapters, I fingers were a blur because of how fast I was drinking in the pages, absorbing Amani's enthralling and exciting story. There were times when I would find myself waking up in the middle of the night, reaching over to my nightstand and reading about the Djinni, the desert and all kinds of fantastical goodness. Alwyn Hamilton got me hooked, and I don't regret a thing.</div>
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Right off the bat, I immediately fell in love with Amani's character, she was so passionate and driven and I couldn't help but be amazed by her. I adored her sharp wit and crazy mouth, she is everything a Fantasy heroine should be, in my opinion. And holy heck, her skills with a gun? *bows down* The girl can shoot, and she knew it too! Her confidence in her shooting skills evened out her vulnerable side, in terms of her insecurities with where she belonged and all the guilt she carried. Amani was an incredibly complex character but Alwyn Hamilton was able to really flesh her out and as the story goes on, pieces of her character are revealed and by the end of it all, you won't be able to stop yourself from wanting to befriend her or be her.</div>
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The chemistry between Amani and Jin, the mysterious foreigner she met? So completely off the charts that scientists have not even found the right formula for it. I'm not saying that <i>Rebel of the Sands </i>was filled with a lot of romance or lovey-dovey scenes; the relationship between Amani and Jin bordered friendship/camaraderie and lovers. It was such a treat to see their relationship progress, it was subtle, really, you won't notice the small details if you aren't looking for them. Even if their romance didn't lead up to romance, they'd make a great duo, Amani and Jin's dynamic was insane. There was this one scene in the desert... whew. #slay Also, the fight scenes in this book are 1000000000% legit. It was thrilling, bloody and magic-filled. You will find yourself staring at the text in awe because of how badass everything is. Seriously, so. Cool.</div>
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Majority of the first part of <i>Rebel of the Sands </i>consisted of Jin and Amani being on the run (you'll need to read the book to know why) so it was mostly only the two of them. But when the latter part came and a slew of incredible set of minor characters were introduced the book turned from good to great. It was such a special thing to see Amani interact with other people and create relationships, finding a place for herself to belong in. (Bahi, just... Bahi.)</div>
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I have no idea how Alwyn Hamilton was able to pack so much in 300-something pages but kudos to her for doing so. Each page managed to unravel a small part of the story so that when you got to the end, you have the complete picture. The whole book was such an amazing experience, it was exciting, emotional, humorous and everything in between and beyond. Alwyn Hamilton was able to really weave intricate and vivid images of such a beautiful and magical culture with such rich, fantastical ideas that summed up to a completely stunning Fantasy novel. And the twists in this book? You won't see any of them coming, trust me.</div>
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<i>Rebel of the Sands </i>was everything I hoped and prayed it would be. The hype for it isn't just hype and I do think that you'd be doing yourself a favour if you bought this book. It is easily one of my favourite debuts and reads of 2016 and I cannot wait to see what else Alwyn Hamilton has in store for us in her desert world.</div>
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-63026187313812472612016-03-09T21:00:00.000+08:002016-03-09T21:00:18.328+08:00Waiting on Wednesday (55)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Waiting on Wednesday/s are hosted by Jill from <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a> in which you choose a book or books that you're excited and waiting for.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This week's Waiting on Wednesday book is...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Title: Ivory and Bone</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Author: Julie Eshbaugh</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Publisher: HarperTeen</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Publication date: June 14th 2016</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Pre-order the book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ivory-Bone-Julie-Eshbaugh/dp/006239925X">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ivory-and-bone-julie-eshbaugh/1122678980">Barnes and Noble</a></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27064385-ivory-and-bone"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOy85ddF3JKSAq26uMnZYUobD4wzbMFNv9bcoXvFQxSqRlWE0MfV4ym_y9kJ-imK2eo89PwuythN4SoOV8Il77nxtW7lKgZMimOJR-Q6r3vYgBA5tcMDEfJBgRNGoJI5XxQBlenRIvUta/s1600/AddtoGoodreads.png" /></a><br />
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Debut author Julie Eshbaugh’s sweeping prehistoric fantasy—with allusions to <i>Pride and Prejudice</i>—will enthrall readers with high-stakes survival, blinding betrayal, and star-crossed love.</div>
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Hunting, gathering, and keeping his family safe—that’s the life seventeen-year-old Kol knows. Then bold, enigmatic Mya arrives from the south with her family, and Kol is captivated. He wants her to like and trust him, but any hopes of impressing her are ruined when he makes a careless—and nearly grave—mistake. However, there’s something more to Mya’s cool disdain…a history wrought with loss that comes to light when another clan arrives. With them is Lo, an enemy from Mya’s past who Mya swears has ulterior motives.</div>
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As Kol gets to know Lo, tensions between Mya and Lo escalate until violence erupts. Faced with shattering losses, Kol is forced to question every person he’s trusted. One thing is for sure: this was a war that Mya or Lo—Kol doesn’t know which—had been planning all along.</div>
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With riveting action and illustrative prose that leaps from the page, newcomer Julie Eshbaugh will have readers mesmerised.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image and summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27064385-ivory-and-bone">Goodreads</a>)</span></div>
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Reasons for why I am excited for this book:<br />
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1) "Prehistoric fantasy with allusions to <i>Pride and Prejudice</i>"? That is legit one of the coolest blurbs I have ever read. The idea of a prehistoric fantasy is such a fresh and completely out-of-this-world concept that I can't help but be impressed that Julie Eshbaugh was even able to come up with something like this!</div>
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2) I am really curious about the world-building in <i>Ivory and Bone</i>. Like, how prehistoric are we talking about and will we be seeing any woolly mammoths and sabretooths? God I hope so.</div>
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3) Every time I think about how primitive everything will be in this book and I get excited about the different personalities and characteristics the characters will have. And if Julie Eshbaugh delved really deep, maybe even the speech patterns. Since it seems like we're going to be seeing a lot of action in this book, I am looking forward to the different weapons that will be featured (bone-carved spears? Crude axes?). All very exciting! Also, the author blurbs for this book are A+!</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">What are your WoW pick/s for this week? Let me know in the comments and I'll check them out!</span><br />
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-67381186247905017512016-03-04T21:00:00.000+08:002016-03-04T21:00:17.007+08:00ARC Review: Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Title: Into the Dim (Into the Dim #1)<br />
Author: Janet B. Taylor<br />
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers<br />
Publication date: March 1st 2016<br />
Buy the book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Into-Dim-Janet-B-Taylor/dp/0544602005">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/into-the-dim-janet-b-taylor/1122302055">Barnes and Noble</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25897792-into-the-dim"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOy85ddF3JKSAq26uMnZYUobD4wzbMFNv9bcoXvFQxSqRlWE0MfV4ym_y9kJ-imK2eo89PwuythN4SoOV8Il77nxtW7lKgZMimOJR-Q6r3vYgBA5tcMDEfJBgRNGoJI5XxQBlenRIvUta/s1600/AddtoGoodreads.png" /></a><br />
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When fragile, sixteen-year-old Hope Walton loses her mom to an earthquake overseas, her secluded world crumbles. Agreeing to spend the summer in Scotland, Hope discovers that her mother was more than a brilliant academic, but also a member of a secret society of time travelers. Trapped in the twelfth century in the age of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Hope has seventy-two hours to rescue her mother and get back to their own time. Along the way, her path collides with that of a mysterious boy who could be vital to her mission . . . or the key to Hope’s undoing.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image and summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25897792-into-the-dim">Goodreads</a>)</span></div>
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Oh my god. This book...</div>
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This book was so boring it took me weeks to finish it. I'm sure you're wondering why I didn't just DNF it, well, it's because I don't DNF books. Even if it's boring or has terrible writing, I just go with it because to me, I'm respecting the author by finishing it. I don't regret reading the whole thing but the plot confused me, the writing was unimpressive and the pace was so. Damn. Slow.</div>
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When I first read the blurb of <i>Into the Dim</i>, I thought it sounded exciting and all kinds of adventurous, especially since a number of 2016 debut authors were raving about it. And before I delved into the book, a close friend of mine told me how much she loved it, so that added to my excitement even more (plus it was compared to <i>Outlander </i>so that added more clout to it, in a way). So when I finally cracked open my copy and flipped through the first few chapters, this was literally me:</div>
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I thought that Hope, the main character, would be super interesting because 1) she had an eidetic memory 2) her mom is a time traveler and 3) she'd be moving to Scotland to learn all sorts of secrets, but nooooope. All I was met with was a flat, judgey MC who stereotyped people and had the oddest voice in my head. To say that I didn't click with Hope would be an understatement, her character was just too underdeveloped and I could not see myself wanting to get to know her, even as the novel progressed. But honestly, it was not just Hope who fell flat in terms of characterisation, it was most, if not all, the people in <i>Into the Dim</i>. Her love interest, Bran, was charming but it was hard to like him because all you would get from him are vague details of who he is. And Aunt Lucinda and her crew of time travellers? Yup, definitely not interested in getting to know them, majority of them were super sketchy and just hard to believe. The only one I kind of liked was Doug but Janet B. Taylor seemed to really not take her time when it comes to building up and fleshing out her characters. There was not enough of their person to like and connect with.</div>
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In terms of the time travelling aspect of <i>Into the Dim</i>, I will commend Janet B. Taylor for the flush of information. I am not too sure if the info fed to me was accurate but I went with them anyway because the explanations sounded intelligent and legit. (There were explanations about Tesla, Sources and a bunch of other jargon made for physicists and scientists.) However, I was disappointed that the book only revolved around the idea of saving Hope's mom from the sixteenth century and retrieving the Nonius Stone which, coincidentally, also happened to be in that same time frame. There were no other exciting time jumps, and that just showed how limited the scope of <i>Into the Dim</i>'s plot was.</div>
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<i>Into the Dim </i>was obviously disappointing to me, it had so much potential to be great but the whole thing was flat and had no personality. The details were amazing though, the way Janet B. Taylor described the different sceneries and places was great but one can't rely on great descriptions to carry a book. I was surprised to find out that <i>Into the Dim </i>will have a sequel because I thought the ending was okay, but I know that I definitely won't read it because I don't think I can stomach another dragging book that leads to nowhere.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-b9CnJuM5bhorwfY9J6xXbwKdV-MlmeeBS1f0F9uDpg2Y8_xX3feiL8Pj_7pXeFUlY1i7L5p8Cjvhy6HQUJe6273ESBFRxlkYhA1zHp8g4OkLr9Nv5v6cwNP7VTE4mHWxTwg5_sXyMVfV/s1600/One+Teacup.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-b9CnJuM5bhorwfY9J6xXbwKdV-MlmeeBS1f0F9uDpg2Y8_xX3feiL8Pj_7pXeFUlY1i7L5p8Cjvhy6HQUJe6273ESBFRxlkYhA1zHp8g4OkLr9Nv5v6cwNP7VTE4mHWxTwg5_sXyMVfV/s1600/One+Teacup.gif" /></a>.5</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwIi6P9xYrayXVEqZNuhCcvoSaw7a2bJsEa_7tzNRvF9FLnIExJIwXUeQw0R_UTzNM1FyIvKxt3kwiqVbI3HT5ue_oXW53Iqt4sUWw3IRnSkRH9HFtOyFb82OaKZeKkaVvh_PiWxO6y8YD/s1600/xx+Louisse.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwIi6P9xYrayXVEqZNuhCcvoSaw7a2bJsEa_7tzNRvF9FLnIExJIwXUeQw0R_UTzNM1FyIvKxt3kwiqVbI3HT5ue_oXW53Iqt4sUWw3IRnSkRH9HFtOyFb82OaKZeKkaVvh_PiWxO6y8YD/s1600/xx+Louisse.png" /></a></div>
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-53177764881041310272016-03-02T21:00:00.000+08:002016-03-02T21:00:23.221+08:00Waiting on Wednesday (54)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPxRy8OB4kxVG3KiVDjufhu_u2drgvDWFk8hh5JxBqERpCMQfHnCWV957UhKh2vy52CJJtn0E2SxY04cj04YD_TCSliMNVVKvh4o9uMoNBzh_WvJfIQ583Dq-KZkZ1mnM4e5RS_wwW1Wa/s1600/Waiting+on+Wednesday.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPxRy8OB4kxVG3KiVDjufhu_u2drgvDWFk8hh5JxBqERpCMQfHnCWV957UhKh2vy52CJJtn0E2SxY04cj04YD_TCSliMNVVKvh4o9uMoNBzh_WvJfIQ583Dq-KZkZ1mnM4e5RS_wwW1Wa/s320/Waiting+on+Wednesday.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Waiting on Wednesday/s are hosted by Jill from <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a> in which you choose a book or books that you're excited and waiting for.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This week's Waiting on Wednesday book is...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ftcgxxSLL2fWsUQ4OC5HTjhxowVCdNUY8oRZytnoXRI8sLdy3ExVWWs1XlRXPqLeCx4-gRWse8VfZ7TdM4tx-1cYOXWHGNd6YXnaSYEK-XU9vop9XIlKmgTNp_P4-FknPPrreeonRDld/s1600/25203675.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ftcgxxSLL2fWsUQ4OC5HTjhxowVCdNUY8oRZytnoXRI8sLdy3ExVWWs1XlRXPqLeCx4-gRWse8VfZ7TdM4tx-1cYOXWHGNd6YXnaSYEK-XU9vop9XIlKmgTNp_P4-FknPPrreeonRDld/s320/25203675.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Title: The Star-Touched Queen</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Author: Rouhani Chokshi</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Publication date: April 26th 2016</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Pre-order the book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Star-Touched-Queen-Roshani-Chokshi/dp/1427272999">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-star-touched-queen-roshani-chokshi/1122404496">Barnes and Noble</a></span><br />
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Cursed with a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, sixteen-year-old Maya has only earned the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her world is upheaved when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. But when her wedding takes a fatal turn, Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Yet neither roles are what she expected. As Akaran's queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar's wife, she finds friendship and warmth.</div>
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But Akaran has its own secrets - thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Beneath Akaran's magic, Maya begins to suspect her life is in danger. When she ignores Amar's plea for patience, her discoveries put more than new love at risk - it threatens the balance of all realms, human and Otherworldly.</div>
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Now, Maya must confront a secret that spans reincarnated lives and fight her way through the dangerous underbelly of the Otherworld if she wants to protect the people she loves.</div>
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The Star-Touched Queen is a lush, beautifully written and vividly imagined fantasy inspired by Indian mythology.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image and summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25203675-the-star-touched-queen">Goodreads</a>)</span></div>
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Reasons for why I am excited for this book:</div>
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1) I first fell in love with the idea of <i>The Star-Touched Queen </i>back when it was entitled <i>The Bride of Dusk and Glass </i>(it was sometime last year when the news of the two-book deal came out), I was so fascinated by the concept of the merging of two mythologies from two very distinct and rich cultures. I feel like the traces of Greek roots will just elevate the richness of the Indian heritage in this novel and I <i>know </i>that this novel is going to be a feast for the senses (I expect to be overwhelmed in the best way possible).</div>
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2) Every time I read the synopsis, I get all kinds of tingly feels because it gives enough information away that a reader will get curious but teases everything else completely. I am so curious about the tree that bears memories, Maya, Amar, the Otherworld, Akaran, the horoscope, oh my god, I want to know about <i>everything</i>. Just gimme this book. I cannot. D y i n g to read.<br />
3) So the original release date of <i>The Star-Touched Queen </i>was May 3rd but then St. Martin's Press decided to release it earlier (moved the pub day to April 26th) because, I'm pretty sure, they knew how freaking amazing this novel is and decided to solve world hunger (for books) by releasing it a week early. Thank you, SMP, for continuously giving us our next fix. #bookjunkie4lyf<br />
* Also, a sidenote, I am obsessed with Roshani Chokshi's Pinterest page for <i>The Star-Touched Queen</i>! It's filled so many pretty things and will pretty much just tease the hell out of you. But still, the pretties. You can view her <i>The Star-Touched Queen </i>Pinterest board <i><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/rchoxi91/the-star-touched-queen/">here</a></i>. You can also navigate her page and see what else she's working on (hint: other beautiful and magic-filled things).</div>
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What are your WoW pick/s for this week? Let me know in the comments and I'll check them out!</div>
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-75018412453843187382016-02-27T15:58:00.001+08:002016-02-27T16:04:56.943+08:00Stacking the Shelves (30)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNxpbyWuCBqNQPofvfI2KWWWSxt2mzlbHNoRF0DK-lfQqEnMVik1FgiAtkt4P3aG_ZOyHGwU_Srwwuu_HJ-gTs3ubNZ70ZWz9rJEzevbNm-5u7ZUJ-BTrPXtCI3Fgxickp1_8ibEe9aBj/s1600/StackingTheShelves.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNxpbyWuCBqNQPofvfI2KWWWSxt2mzlbHNoRF0DK-lfQqEnMVik1FgiAtkt4P3aG_ZOyHGwU_Srwwuu_HJ-gTs3ubNZ70ZWz9rJEzevbNm-5u7ZUJ-BTrPXtCI3Fgxickp1_8ibEe9aBj/s1600/StackingTheShelves.png" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by <a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/">Tynga's Reviews</a>! It's where bloggers can share what they got for review, bought, borrowed, won or gifted (both physical and eBooks may be included! :D)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">Here's what I got recently:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPYuSrw7GgRr7F6CpvQ2Y6RJMp5r3T0WR3ivH3rMbvmqmMFQChayFpJPJo2FkiACqLxwwp9Yp7L5K7N_oL-qjyWIF4Wddzse93G5UQYKJ1fSeGsl1GDyyRCzS-9lU0h8i4boOmCRQy88hd/s1600/12773223_1058635710824444_1222812214_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPYuSrw7GgRr7F6CpvQ2Y6RJMp5r3T0WR3ivH3rMbvmqmMFQChayFpJPJo2FkiACqLxwwp9Yp7L5K7N_oL-qjyWIF4Wddzse93G5UQYKJ1fSeGsl1GDyyRCzS-9lU0h8i4boOmCRQy88hd/s320/12773223_1058635710824444_1222812214_o.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
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<b><u>For review:</u></b></div>
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*ARC* <i>The Radiant Road </i>by Katherine Catcall (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25431173-the-radiant-road?from_search=true&search_version=service">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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<i>*</i>ARC* <i>Rebel of the Sands </i>(Rebel of the Sands #1)<i> </i>by Alwyn Hamilton (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24934065-rebel-of-the-sands?from_search=true&search_version=service">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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*ARC* <i>Wink Poppy Midnight </i>by April Genevieve Tucholke (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23203106-wink-poppy-midnight">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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*ARC* <i>Rocks Fall Everyone Dies </i>by Lindsay Ribar (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26796308-rocks-fall-everyone-dies">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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I pretty much freaked out when I got the package of books because I have been dying to read<i> Wink Poppy Midnight </i>(I flailed about it in my WoW post <a href="http://the-soul-sisters.blogspot.com/2016/01/waiting-on-wednesday-48.html" style="font-style: italic;">here</a>) and the rest of the books sound so good as well (I Goodreads-ed them and I approve). Also, I feel kind of special because I really like the both the original and new cover of <i>Rebel of the Sands </i>so I'm happy that I got a copy with the first cover, hehe. Anyway, thank you so much to my lovely friends at Penguin Random House International! You ladies are the b e s t.</div>
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What new goodies did YOU get recently? Be sure to leave us a comment with a link to your post and we'll check it out! :)</div>
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-72243010230095407682016-02-24T21:00:00.000+08:002016-02-24T21:00:04.507+08:00ARC Review: The Girl Who Fell by S.M. Parker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Title: The Girl Who Fell<br />
Author: S.M. Parker<br />
Publisher: Simon Pulse<br />
Publication date: March 1st 2016<br />
Pre-order the book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Who-Fell-S-M-Parker/dp/1481437259/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-girl-who-fell-sm-parker/1122088274;jsessionid=6591ECD5259D6E963E140B4585411949.prodny_store01-atgap06?ean=9781481437257">Barnes and Noble</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26806161-the-girl-who-fell"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQ98mha05KU01gTJj5XYhuo_UHSV-cBuB8Q5lS4-AeBs7tI4yQ4LEc1yVIAI6LCD9bpHPvMEQm2kDTzSni6IkSXvAvpWbIx34J4FXjibxel0t40fKEI94wBf59eAizf1eZbtnxDVRINRn/s1600/AddtoGoodreads.png" /></a><br />
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His obsession.<br />
Her fall.<br />
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High school senior Zephyr Doyle is swept off her feet—and into an intense relationship—by the new boy in school.<br />
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Zephyr is focused. Focused on leading her team to the field hockey state championship and leaving her small town for her dream school, Boston College.<br />
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But love has a way of changing things.<br />
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Enter the new boy in school: the hockey team’s starting goaltender, Alec. He’s cute, charming, and most important, Alec doesn’t judge Zephyr. He understands her fears and insecurities—he even shares them. Soon, their relationship becomes something bigger than Zephyr, something she can’t control, something she doesn’t want to control.<br />
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Zephyr swears it must be love. Because love is powerful, and overwhelming, and…terrifying?<br />
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But love shouldn’t make you abandon your dreams, or push your friends away. And love shouldn’t make you feel guilty—or worse, ashamed.<br />
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So when Zephyr finally begins to see Alec for who he really is, she knows it’s time to take back control of her life.<br />
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If she waits any longer, it may be too late.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image and summary taken from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26806161-the-girl-who-fell">Goodreads</a>)</span></div>
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Every time I dive into a Contemporary novel, I always keep one foot out of the metaphorical water because I am very particular with the kind of Contemporaries I enjoy and most of the ones I've read usually don't sit too well with me; however, <i>The Girl Who Fell </i>is unlike any other Contemporary reading experience I have ever had and I am happy to say that while I overcome with a lot of conflicting emotions (because of the heavy underlying topic) I did enjoy the story and the writing (though there were moments when the book was too slow and a bit disconcerting with how heavy it was on the romance, which I understood was the point of the book). S.M. Parker handled and paced everything so well and managed to make <i>The Girl Who Fell </i>one of the most realistic novels I have ever read, I became a part of the story because of her writing and that was amazing.<br />
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This book gave me so much anxiety, mostly because I already got bad vibes from Alec and pretty much developed a nervous twitch from all the instances wherein I wanted to just step in and shout at Zephyr to not do <i>it </i>(and by "it" I mean everything related to Alec). No go can be that charming and that smiley without hiding something. And while the plot didn't particularly lead towards a love triangle, I was Team Slicer from the start, from the moment he carried Zephyr's hockey stuff during her game, I was all for Gregg. But my preferences aside I was very impressed that S.M. Parker was able to evoke such foreign emotions within me, I was an objective third party from what was happening but still managed to be included in what was happening with Zephyr and Alec. It was very interesting.<br />
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My mom would always tell me that first love is heady, a complete rush, and unpredictable and S.M. Parker was really able to embody those characteristics of first love within Zephyr. I feel like with everything that was happening with her life (her dad leaving, her wait for Boston College's acceptance letter and others), she was already vulnerable and Alec preyed on that. There were so many aspects of her life that were in disarray that Zephyr ended up depending on the one thing she considered constant, which was Alec. Zephyr is by no means weak, but with everything happening and Alec's affections and undeniable charms, she just ended up... falling. And that was what really hit me, this strong, determined girl who just didn't <i>know</i>.<br />
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Everything was resolved at the right time, it was timed perfectly but in a way, it was also a bit too late. I looked back at what I read in <i>The Girl Who Fell </i>and I can't help but wonder what Zephyr could have done to avoid all that crazy, disturbing stuff from happening but I couldn't think of anything (if she had spoken to her friends, would something have changed? How about her parents?), Alec was just so well put together that nobody could have found fault in him, and that's what saddened me, that all those things really did have to happen for Zephyr to get to where she is now.<br />
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<i>The Girl Who Fell </i>is a powerful novel that amaze you in the most unexpected of ways, it also carries with it a message of finding strength and the truth in yourself. It was an awakening for me on abusive relationships, that we never really realise that what abuse is (because they don't always come in the form of beatings or verbal lashes) until our eyes are truly opened. S.M. Parker has created a book that can and will speak to anyone who chooses to pick it up. I am extremely fortunate to have been able to read it.</div>
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-24278053036292175532016-02-20T21:00:00.001+08:002016-02-20T21:00:05.805+08:00ARC Review: Criminal Magic by Lee Kelly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Title: Criminal Magic<br />
Author: Lee Kelly<br />
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Saga Press<br />
Publication date: February 2nd 2016<br />
Buy the book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/A-Criminal-Magic-Lee-Kelly/dp/1481410334">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-criminal-magic-lee-kelly/1122082220">Barnes and Noble</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23447887-a-criminal-magic"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOy85ddF3JKSAq26uMnZYUobD4wzbMFNv9bcoXvFQxSqRlWE0MfV4ym_y9kJ-imK2eo89PwuythN4SoOV8Il77nxtW7lKgZMimOJR-Q6r3vYgBA5tcMDEfJBgRNGoJI5XxQBlenRIvUta/s1600/AddtoGoodreads.png" /></a><br />
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THE NIGHT CIRCUS meets PEAKY BLINDERS in Lee Kelly's new magical realism, crossover novel.<br />
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Magic is powerful, dangerous and addictive - and after passage of the 18th Amendment, it is finally illegal.<br />
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It's 1926 in Washington, DC, and while Anti-Sorcery activists have achieved the Prohibition of sorcery, the city's magic underworld is booming. Sorcerers cast illusions to aid mobsters' crime sprees. Smugglers funnel magic contraband in from overseas. Gangs have established secret performance venues where patrons can lose themselves in magic, and take a mind-bending, intoxicating elixir known as the sorcerer's shine.<br />
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Joan Kendrick, a young sorcerer from Norfolk County, Virginia accepts an offer to work for DC's most notorious crime syndicate, the Shaw Gang, when her family's home is repossessed. Alex Danfrey, a first-year Federal Prohibition Unit trainee with a complicated past and talents of his own, becomes tapped to go undercover and infiltrate the Shaws.<br />
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Through different paths, Joan and Alex tread deep into the violent, dangerous world of criminal magic - and when their paths cross at the Shaws' performance venue, despite their orders, and despite themselves, Joan and Alex become enchanted with one another. But when gang alliances begin to shift, the two sorcerers are forced to question their ultimate allegiances and motivations. And soon, Joan and Alex find themselves pitted against each other in a treacherous, heady game of cat-and-mouse.<br />
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A CRIMINAL MAGIC casts a spell of magic, high stakes and intrigue against the backdrop of a very different Roaring Twenties. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image and summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23447887-a-criminal-magic">Goodreads</a>)</span></div>
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<i>Criminal Magic </i>is everything I've ever wanted in a book and more. There were not enough hours in the day for me to read this book and in a way, I was glad for it. I was able to savor every line, paragraph, page and chapter. There were so many pieces and moments that were meant to really be absorbed and appreciated and I was able to do those things. If there's one thing that I was able to take home from reading <i>Criminal Magic</i>, it's that Lee Kelly writes like a dream. Her different uses of imagery were overwhelming in the best way possible.</div>
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I have to applaud Lee Kelly for the expert and impressive execution of the alternating POVs. I am always taken aback by authors who can do multiple POVs justice and that's exactly what she did, Lee Kelly smashed it. There was great characterisation in both Alex and Joan's parts, they both had unique and distinct voices and what's great is that they both contributed a piece to the puzzle, so by the end of the book, everything was complete and wrapped up nicely.</div>
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Alex and Joan, I would say, are two sides of the same coin, they're essentially the same person but with certain aspects that stop them from being one. They have the same goals (more or less, for their family) and they're doing things that they aren't quite sure of. Lee Kelly paints a very good picture of two souls with good intentions but with a shady path ahead. (I think their moral compass needs a little tweaking.) And the things they had to go through for them to get to where they are now? My heart goes out to Alex and Joan.</div>
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I don't even know how to tackle the magic bits of this book but holy crap, the detail and vividness of magic in <i>Criminal Magic </i>blew my mind. Illegal shine bars, performance magic and mafia that use magic?! Oh my god. It was such a wild and amazing ride. I felt like I was an audience member in the Red Den, experiencing magic for the very first time. And the whole book literally felt like I was under a shine high, everything was so vivid and dark and overwhelming but I never wanted it to stop. Every page was a hit for me and when the novel hit the end with its explosive (and completely unexpected conclusion) all I could do was beg for more.</div>
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For me to say that I am looking forward to Lee Kelly's future novels would be an understatement. I am so excited for whatever she writes next it's almost obsession. And might I say that the ending of <i>Criminal Magic </i>was so shocking but actually so perfect for the book. It is easily one of my most favourite literally endings of all time, it just made so much sense. I can't wait, I can't wait for <i>more</i>.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Rating:</span></div>
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81045288084205891.post-11220189513049382622016-02-13T21:00:00.000+08:002016-02-13T21:00:09.626+08:00ARC Review: Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Title: Blackhearts<br />
Author: Nicole Castroman<br />
Publisher: Simon Pulse<br />
Publication date: February 9th 2016<br />
Buy the book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1481432699/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1481432699&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blackhearts-nicole-castroman/1122088308;jsessionid=8709E1CD23FEAABB939DA77B0A73BD72.prodny_store01-atgap01?ean=9781481432696&st=AFF&2sid=Goodreads,%20Inc_2227948_NA&sourceId=AFFGoodreads,%20IncM000027">Barnes and Noble</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21936937-blackhearts?ac=1&from_search=1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOy85ddF3JKSAq26uMnZYUobD4wzbMFNv9bcoXvFQxSqRlWE0MfV4ym_y9kJ-imK2eo89PwuythN4SoOV8Il77nxtW7lKgZMimOJR-Q6r3vYgBA5tcMDEfJBgRNGoJI5XxQBlenRIvUta/s1600/AddtoGoodreads.png" /></a><br />
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Blackbeard the pirate was known for striking fear in the hearts of the bravest of sailors. But once he was just a young man who dreamed of leaving his rigid life behind to chase adventure in faraway lands. Nothing could stop him—until he met the one girl who would change everything.<br />
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Edward "Teach" Drummond, son of one of Bristol's richest merchants, has just returned from a year-long journey on the high seas to find his life in shambles. Betrothed to a girl he doesn’t love and sick of the high society he was born into, Teach dreams only of returning to the vast ocean he’d begun to call home. There's just one problem: convincing his father to let him leave and never come back.<br />
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Following her parents' deaths, Anne Barrett is left penniless and soon to be homeless. Though she’s barely worked a day in her life, Anne is forced to take a job as a maid in the home of Master Drummond. Lonely days stretch into weeks, and Anne longs for escape. How will she ever realize her dream of sailing to Curaçao—where her mother was born—when she's stuck in England? <br />
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From the moment Teach and Anne meet, they set the world ablaze. Drawn to each other, they’re trapped by society and their own circumstances. Faced with an impossible choice, they must decide to chase their dreams and go, or follow their hearts and stay.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image and summary taken from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21936937-blackhearts?ac=1&from_search=1">Goodreads</a>)</span></div>
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I have no idea what these 2016 debut authors have been drinking (cocktails made from the tears of their readers?) because I am on a roll with all these amazing debuts and from the impressive list I've read so far, <i>Blackhearts </i>is the one that truly gripped my soul from start to finish. There were not enough hours in the day for me to read <i>Blackhearts</i>, I used every second I could to devour this book. I was pretty much obsessed with it, I read it in a day but I know that it's beautiful and gripping story will stay with me forever.</div>
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Confession: I am 100000% in love with Anne Barrett. I have never met a heroine who is so resilient and feisty (so, so, <i>so </i>feisty and fierce!). Just a couple of chapters in a she'd already shook off someone's unwanted advances, thought of a solution to a problem and used a pail as a weapon, it was comical and so awesome, the only thing missing was a z-snap and a hair flip. But even more than Anne's fierceness, I was in awe of her passion and drive for freedom. Though she may work as a maid and gets treated like dirt by her peers for being bi-racial, she still manages to hold her head high and keep her snark/wit on, which is really so admirable. (And let's just say she knows how to take matters into her own hands when she needs to, even if it's something she doesn't really want to do. Sometimes one's circumstances force us to do things just to survive, and that's what she did.) I just absolutely love Anne, with her strong will and kind heart, it would be impossible not to. (One of my favourite scenes involves her + Miss Patience + some spices. That is all.)</div>
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Okay, though I may have fallen for Anne, majority of my heart belonged to Edward "Teach" Drummond (Louisse Drummond has a nice ring to it, am I right? How about Louisse Teach? Lol). I literally have no words to express how great and interesting of a man Teach is. His passion and sense of justice struck me <i>hard</i>. In <i>Blackhearts</i>, he had just returned from a year at sea and came back a changed man, and what a passionate man he became. Teach's love for the sea was evident in the book, from the way his thoughts flowed and his heart called to be out in a ship, I just wanted to throw him in the water just to ease his pain. I cannot wait for everyone to meet him because he will make you fall in love wit him, you won't even have a chance to resist. (That chiseled chest, those green eyes and his stubble. Good-bye, ovaries.)</div>
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I wanted to tie Anne and Teach together, throw them in a boat and let me ship, well, ship. Nicole Castroman promised a slow burn and she delivered, almost to the point of extreme teasing. By the middle of the book, I just wanted to press their heads close to each other and force them to kiss because my mind was pretty much thinking "Just kiss already!!" most of the time. But I seriously love Anne and Teach's romance, it was the kind that took patience and had a strong sense of trust between the two. It's so rare to see this kind of romance in books anymore, usually it's all about the number of kiss scenes or how hot the guy is but with Anne and Teach, it was their hearts and minds that called to each other. Their reading sessions and banter was basically foreplay between the two.<br />
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A friend of mine (ahem, Nicola) gave me a brief as to who people speculated Blackbeard was before I dove into <i>Blackhearts </i>and knowing all the details I did (Queen Anne's Revenge!!!!!!!!!!), it made my reading experience all the more amazing and heartbreaking. <i>Blackhearts </i>isn't just a book or a story about Blackbeard came to be, no, it's an experience, one that will change your heart in ways you'll never expect. <i>Blackhe</i><i>arts </i>is not only about Anne and Teach's budding yet profound romance, the novel also put emphasis on the external forces around them, as well as a very varied set of minor characters. Each character had a role to play and quite a number of them were villains, which added more intrigue to the story.<br />
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As much as I loved <i>Blackhearts</i>, the ending <i>killed </i>me. Both in a good and bad way, good because the ending was so unique and heartbreaking but so beautiful and made so much sense but also in a bad way because the sequel isn't a guaranteed thing. I may actually die if this amazing story does not get continued and write a strongly worded letter to S&S (<i>White Chicks </i>style). <i>Blackhearts </i>is such a special book and I really want it to receive the recognition and love it deserves. February 9th, mark that as the day your life will be made and your heart destroyed in the best possible way. (Also, so many thanks to Nicole Castroman for writing this phenomenal novel. I don't think I'll ever be the same again but I don't regret anything.)<br />
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Louisse A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304799253237463277noreply@blogger.com1